


K i n g o f F r e i s c h ü t z

by JjangQueen



Category: B.A.P, K-pop
Genre: F/M, Gangs, Kkangpae, Organized Crime, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-10-14 19:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10543248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JjangQueen/pseuds/JjangQueen
Summary: Everyone seems to forget that criminals are human beings, as if the commitment of a crime is the catalyst needed for turning a human being into an animal. We don't blame the corporations that steal from their clients, we blame the man who stole a wallet trying to feed his family. We don't blame the courts who knowingly execute innocent people, we blame the man who executed his father after a childhood of abuse. We don't blame the employees who sleep with their bosses for a bigger paycheck, we blame the women who sleep with strangers they meet to make sure they can have even a little money in their pockets.We forget that these people have families, that they have emotions, that they have weaknesses. We forget that they were once like us, and we forget that with one simple step we can become like them. We don't see that street gangs and political gangs have the same functions because we don't want to see it. If we were to see it, we would be reminded that these people that we despise, that we blame, that we so easily throw away, are really no different from us and we no different than them.





	1. Foreward

**Author's Note:**

> This story was (and is still being) posted at AsianFanfics.com
> 
> * * *
> 
> **WARNING**
> 
> This story is a complete work of fiction and contains foul language, graphic scenes, mentions and possibly instances of sexual assault, as well as commentary that may be offensive - these views are not views that I share, they are merely added for the shock value and authentication of the types of characters and settings I am trying to portray. I also do not personally know any members of the South Korean hip-hop group B.A.P, nor do I personally know their manager, the siblings of Bang Yong Guk - Bang Yong Nam or Bang Natasha - nor do I know Kil Cha Ru or the names or appearances of the siblings or parents of Moon Jong Up - these names were merely made up for convenience. 
> 
> The image muse of fictional character Moon Jun Ko is that of Hwang Mi Hee, South Korean race queen and belong to her and whomever managers her. I claim no rights to any images used otherwise stated differently. 
> 
> The names of the chapters should be noted as well - I am not a very creative girl and have a very high respect and love for mangaka Tite Kubo and his main work BLEACH, and as such the names of the chapters of this story have been taken from such manga. As said, I have no such creativity for creating witty chapter names.

* * *

 

**Moon Junko||Dragon King**

23yo || 1990.05.01 || Zero Line / Thousand Year House || Leader / Vanguard || 161cm || 51kg

> _I have money, it's trust and character I need around me. You know, who you choose to be around you lets you know who you are. One car in exchange for knowing what a man's made of? That's a price I can live with.   --Han "Seoul-Oh" Lue_

 

 

**Bang Yongguk || Inversion Rapper**

23yo || 1990.03.31 || B.A.P || Leader, Main Rapper || 180cm || 62kg 

> _"Life is like a piano. The white keys represent happiness and the black keys represent sadness. But as you go through life, remember that the black keys make music too."   -- Bang Yong Guk_

 

 

**Moon Jongup || Moon Angel**

19yo || 1995.02.06 || B.A.P || Main Dancer, Sub-Vocalist || 176cm || 66kg

> _"I don't think there'll ever be a challenge in your life if you don't try out something because you're scared. I think you just need to do it without any thoughts."   -- Moon Jong Up_


	2. Still Alive, To This Place

_“Now they return home, their bones bruised and their spirit slightly broken, but they are still alive, and they will be well sometime soon.”_

\--Hannah Nikka Bryan, Soldier’s Descent

* * *

Moon Jongup was not a stressed person. Sure, he felt anxious during his audition for TS Entertainment and that anxiety was felt tenfold during his debut stage. He had been worried about his college entrance exams, uneasy about B.A.P’s first time on Weekly Idol, and downright terrified when he got lost in Los Angeles as a little boy. Meeting Yongguk left him with knots in his stomach, especially when the older man didn’t warm up to him right away. But like every other thing that has ever worried him, it proved to be nothing less than a step up in his life - except for maybe getting lost.

But now, on the day of his high school graduation, Moon Jongup is feeling more stressed than he ever felt. Yesterday had been his 19th birthday and while it was one of the greatest, though briefest, that he had had thus far, it left him little preparation time.

He couldn’t find his tie in the morning until it had mysteriously showed up under Daehyun’s pillow. Himchan had woken up so early in the morning to cook a large breakfast that he had made himself sick and couldn’t attend the graduation. Yongguk, who had been the most excited second to Jongup, didn't get to bed until he had only three hours of sleep and looked about ready to keel over. Youngjae even pointed out that he had fallen asleep in the van twice before they got to the school.

His only relief had been Junhong who had thankfully locked the dorm door and brought Jongup his mp3 player which he had nearly forgotten..

Halfway through the ceremony his eldest brother Jongkeun sent him a message saying his parents wouldn’t be able to make it to the school, but he and Jongwoo were standing with his members and were buying a recording of the ceremony for their family.

The dancer cracked his knuckles again and again as he made his way onto the stage - nearly tripping on the second step - to receive his certificate of graduation. His heart was hammering in his throat and he bowed, mumbled a shy thank you, and turned to the crowd. Everyone was staring at him, their eyes glinting in the brought light and once again he felt the terror he felt in Los Angeles - he couldn’t see the members or his brothers anywhere.

Jongup froze and tried to swallow. The entire room jeered in celebration but nowhere could he see the people he was desperately searching for.

Did they leave? he thought; he felt like crying until a long waving arm caught his attention in the back. Jongwoo was waving frantically in his excitement and he could hear his brother’s both cheering “Uppie” despite them being so far back in the auditorium. Jongup found his smile again as he bowed and walked off the stage to join the rest of his classmates.

His heart was thundering in a good way now as he found his seat and laughed with his friends who all congratulated him, and the ill feeling in his stomach melted away when his accomplishment finally sank in.

Moon Jongup, despite his demanding schedules, had graduated high school.

* * *

“Hyeong, we can go, you look like you’re going to fall over.”

Yongguk looked at the young man still holding his diploma to his chest. He had written off his graduation as ‘cool’ but everyone could see how excited Jongup really was - he wouldn’t even let his brothers hold his diploma, though he had gladly handed over the bouquets and other gifts for them to hold.

“No, go talk to your friends. This is your only high school graduation; I already had mine, so go and enjoy yours.”

“You said that an hour ago. Everyone has already left or is leaving, it’s fine, really.”

He wasn’t lying, the courtyard that had been full of eager tenagers had been dwindling rapidly since the ceremony had been let out and of the students left Jongup had already spoken to everyone.

“Hyeong and I have to get going as well, so we can drop these off in your car,’’Jongwoo announced and motioned to Jongkeun who nodded. Yongguk broke down and agreed, and everyone left in the direction of the front lot.

Jongwoo joked around his his younger brother in front of his car while Jongkeun was helping Junhong position the flowers in the rear cargo without crushing too many of the petals.

“So, have you heard from her recently?”

Jongup shook his head and looked over to where Youngjae was loading up in the TS Entertainment van. “I haven’t told them either. I don’t know how they would feel about her . . career.” Jongwoo nodded in understanding and kicked at the ground.

“She should be coming back soon, though. Her sentence was for five years and knowing her, she’ll be trying to get back as soon as possible.”

“Are you talking about ‘her’?” Jongkeun joined his younger siblings after thanking Junhong. Both brothers nodded, pulling a sigh from Jongkeun. “And you haven’t told your company, knowing you.” Jongup shook his head.

“I don’t how how they would feel,” Jongup reiterated. “It’s not everyday you come up to your friends and say ‘oh yeah, by the way, I’ve been hiding this person from you that I probably should have told you about but I didn’t because you won’t like her?’ How would they see us then?”

“If they love you like I think they do, they won’t care.” Jongkeun looked his youngest brother in the eyes and laid his hand on his shoulder. Jongup had to admit, he was right. B.A.P had become his second family; they were with him through his youth and if could have his way he would be with them for the rest of his life. It was Yongguk’s stance on crime that scared him.

The Incheon native had a strong dislike of violence and anything related to it. He never raised his voice or raised a hand to anyone and his image of an ideal society was one without violence or injustice. Breaking out the news that he was related to one of the most powerful people of the Korean underground would not work in his favour, no matter how much he and Yongguk had gone through his five and a half years of being a trainee.

“If you ask me, telling them now would be the best thing to do.” Jongwoo gave his brother a brotherly hug and Jongkeun followed suit. Before leaving, Jongkeun presented his youngest brother with an envelope and Jongup was shocked to find four yellow 50,000₩ notes. He tried to refuse, but Jongwoo wouldn’t let him and only pulled his brother back into a hug.

“Happy graduation, Uppie.”

Once again that day, Jongup felt close to crying.

* * *

The closer the van got to home the larger the buildings got. Being the last stop on the bus route to Hanlim their dorm was one of the farthest away from the school. This, in Daehyun’s words, gave Jongup more time to decided where he wanted to feast that night.

“Our schedule is clear anyway so we celebrate your birthday and graduation.”

“But we already had a party for my birthday.”

“You went to bed at 22:00 last night. That doesn’t count.”

Himchan was waiting outside for them when they finally returned home (though no one could get out of the van until Yongguk was shaken awake). The visual looked almost pitiful with a duvet wrapped around his body waiting in the snow-bare driveway of the large building - admittedly he was just too lazy to put a coat on - but he still greeted Jongup with a bright smile.

“Look at this kid, all grown up!”

Jongup looked down to hide his shy smile.

“And look at all this stuff he got!” Junhong called out, him and Daehyun rummaging through all the goods in the back. Youngjae looked at them disparagingly.

“Yah! We still have dinner tonight, don’t eat anything! Besides, those are Jongup’s gifts, not yours!”

Yongguk, still half asleep, herded everyone up towards the building. “Go inside, it’s too cold out here. Himchan and I will get the gifts, go sleep.”

Everyone laughed at Himchan’s whining but walked inside anyway. Admittedly it was a lot warmer in their dorm and Jongup hadn’t realized how cold it had actually been. The adrenaline from the whole morning had worn off and he realized now how actually tired he was.

“I’m going to sleep,” he mentioned to Daehyun who had seated himself on the settee. He could hear Himchan and Yongguk entre the dorm not by the sound of the door but by the sound of Himchan’s voice as he complained about the cold.

“Then put on a jacket before going outside,” Yongguk scolded his best friend. Being the courteous man he was, Yongguk knocked before entering the bedroom. “Jongup, your gifts are in the living room and the flowers are in the sink.”

“Okay hyeong,” Jongup called back, muffled through his shirt.

“There’s also a letter for you. Himchan said it was in the delivery box when he woke up, do you want it now?”

This was something Jongup wasn’t expecting. Being dressed, he opened the door to talk to the leader. “Letter? Who is it from?”

Yongguk, who had the letter in his hand, read the name. “Someone named. . .Junko? A friend who wasn’t at the graduation?”

Jongup felt his heart fall into his feet. Chills radiated from his head to his toes and Yongguk looked alarmed at the sudden change in mood.

“Jongup-ah? Jongup, are you okay?”

He grabbed the letter from the older man and looked over the front in a panic. It was true, on the front in neat English letters was the name ‘Moon Jun Ko.’ This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen, the hyeongs weren’t supposed to know, Jongup thought in worry.

The alarm in Yongguk’s voice had brought everyone else to the hallway, craning their heads to know what was going on. Jongup hadn’t looked up from the letter, he only back up and sat on Himchan’s bunk. His hands trembled as he held onto the letter and for the first time that day Yongguk was truly awake.

Himchan grabbed Yongguk’s arm and turned the brunette to look at him. “Is it the letter? Who is it from? What’s wrong?” Yongguk just shook his head.

“It’s a letter,” Jongup spoke up; his voice quickly drew everyone’s attention to him again, and somehow he had found relief in the panic he felt. “It’s a letter I’ve been waiting for.”

“What is it, a college letter?” Junhong asked, his mindless innocence going without comment.

“No.” Jongup look up at everyone crowded around him, looking each male in his brown eyes before he dropped his gaze back to the paper in his hand. “It’s more important than that. It’s a letter I’ve been waiting five years for.” The statement only made everyone else that much more confused.

“Well, what is it?” Daehyun pushed, sitting on the floor.

Jongup slowly ripped a short end of the envelope off and pulled a  single sheet of folded paper from the opening. There was a bulge in the centre of the folds and from the paper fell a rectangular white piece of card stock straight into Jongup’s lap; everyone felt their hands twitch with the desire to grab the card.

“It’s an invitation to dinner tonight,” Jongup chirped, and everyone felt their blood pressure rising.

“But who is it from?” Junhong whined in annoyance.

Jongup looked up and smiled at everyone in the room. He felt the irony of the situation sinking in and had to wonder if Jongkeun and / or Jongwoo knew this was going to happen. It was probably the reason the two were interrogating him so thoroughly after the graduation; knowing how the two were he did not deny it. And now seemed as good a time as any to let loose the secret he had been forced to keep since he had become a teenager.

“It’s from Moon Junko. My big sister.” 


	3. Imitated Gaeity

_"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides"_

\--André Malrau

* * *

The dorm sat in silence as everyone dressed. Despite the fact everyone had a million thoughts between them, no one would speak except to ask what combination of clothing looked good. Jongup told them in a hushed voice that casual would be okay, his sister would feel awkward with anything less, but saying the phrase over and over was beginning to cause him pain, the very word 'sister' stinging his throat.

No one was making eye contact with him, though Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, and Junhong had no problem asking his advice for the night. What truly had Jongup on edge was how far Yongguk had gone to distance himself from him; everyone knew that Yongguk hated lying, but Jongup technically hadn't lied. No one had asked if he had any other siblings other than Jongkeun and Jongwoo, and he hadn't said they were his only siblings. He hadn't really lied.

He just withheld the information.

Jongup looked himself over in the mirror again. He was worried he was overdressed (if white skinny jeans count as overdressed) when three honks sounded faintly outside. He knew it was their chauffeur and once again his heart throbbed in his ears.

"Are they here to pick us up?" Daehyun asked loudly, his faced pressed against the window overlooking the street.

"It's almost 21:00 like the letter said. Why?" Youngjae stood next to Daehyun at the window.

"Because that car looks really expensive . . . "

Himchan, Junhong, and Yongguk were already out the door looking back at the other three still lagging behind. The walk to the elevator was quiet, and the ride down even more so, despite the fact that nearly everyone has bouncing on the balls of their feet. Jongup all but raced outside hoping to see his sister waiting by the car but was met instead by a muscularly overweight man with a shaved head.

"This car in huge," Junhong exclaimed walking around to distance himself from the intimidating driver. "Es-cald-day?"

"It's an Escalade," Yongguk corrected the youngest with a tone of wonder in his own voice. "I've never really seen one in Korea before."

The driver cleared his throat, "Miss Moon insisted on this one, sir." His guff voice matched his gruff appearance; he had the voice of a smoker and the appearance of a thug, but his chivalry in opening the door for the pop group was almost surprising.

Himchan whistled from the middle seat, "Miss Moon? Is your sister a gangster or something, Jongup?"

Jongup sneered from his spot in the back seat, "Don't be weird, hyeong." He hoped the panic wasn't too evident in his voice. He glanced at Yongguk seated next to him; the older man had his head turned toward the window and was watching the blur of neon lights. "Yongguk-hyeong," Jongup said quietly. Even though he felt that he had done nothing wrong he knew that Yongguk was upset and he didn't want those feelings to carry over into their dinner.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my sister. When I joined TS I promised I wouldn't say anything because her li-"

Yongguk raised his hand to quiet Jongup. "I'm not mad at you. I'm a little upset but it's only because I don't like secrets. I understand you made a promise, and I respect that, but at the same time I'm not entirely pleased. Just. . I would say don't do it again, but the point of a secret is to keep it a secret. I'm not mad at you, though, okay?"

The rest of the car ride went by quietly, all conversations extremely hushed, but Jongup was just happy that his apparent fight with his hyeong was nothing more than a minour clash of moral preferences.

* * *

"Gentlemen," the words sounded awkward coming from such an intimidating man, "we've arrived."

Any feeling of relief left Jongup in a moment. His legs trembled in excitement and Junhong found himself nearly shoved out of the SUV when the dancer vaulted himself out of the backseat.

"Why couldn't he have been this excited for his graduation?" Daehyun laughed and stretched his entire body. Everyone was stiff with an odd mix of excitement and distress - you don't have a meeting with a person you've never heard about sprung on you everyday, after all. "Where did he go?"

It wasn't any easy question to answer; there was a large crowd of luxuriously dressed people standing in front of the building. The women wore dresses that showed much more than they covered even despite the dreadful cold and the men by their sides had more jewelry made of various precious metals and stones showing than they did skin. It hardly seemed like the place for a boy band to be gathered, and the fact that one of their youngest was lost in such a crowd had Yongguk almost sweating. The crowd itself seemed to be zeroing them out and a tremour of whispers swept through them. The awkward situation actually ended up working in their favour as the lack of people made it easier for Junhong to zero out Jongup standing near the door and even more so for slipping past the parted crowd who once again coalesced behind them.

"I'm sorry, I thought she'd be here waiting for us. I forgot how bad my sister is with time." The phrase still sounded foreign, even to Jongup, no matter how many times it was said. The boys stood huddled close, finding comfort in the fact that everyone was distanced from them, and even found the chance to laugh when Himchan's stomach voiced it's annoyance at being kept from a meal. No one noticed when the crowd once again erupted into whispers, not until a boisterous voice called out,

"Wah, Moon Jongup of B.A.P! I'm such a fan!"

Jongup prepared his usual 'thank you, I'm happy you like our music' response - Youngjae preparing his own 'why this kid?' response - but before he could even speak his feet carried him past the members and into the arms of a woman whom he soon all but engulfed into himself.

The rest of B.A.P stood their ground, dumbfounded. What did you do in a situation like this? The boys all thought the reunion was going to be dramatic - tears, yelling, something. Not just Jongup standing there hugging who they assumed was his sister. They wanted to see what she looked like, but they didn't want to separate the two, just like they wanted to talk to her and get to know this mysterious person. But that would all require breaking their moment up, and that would make a terrible first impression. Lady Luck seemed to be on their side because Jongup pulled away when the pale hands tapped on his back.

"Yah, I love you, but believe it or not people have to breathe; that's a little hard if you're squeezing me like that." At least she had a sense of humour. The mystery woman stepped around her brother and bowed to the men in front of her, showcasing a smile mirrored of Jongup's own. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. My name is Moon Junko, and I'd like to thank you for taking care of my brother."

* * *

Junko smiled happily at her guests when they were seated at their table. Jongup claimed the spot to her right and Himchan bravely claimed the spot to her left. As soon as the chairs were scooted in she found herself being bombarded with questions; 'when were you born?' 'where have you been?' 'what's your favourite song?' 'why do you have such a big car?' 'do you dance like Jonguppie?' 'what music do you like?' 'are you a fan of B.A.P?' Youngjae gave Daehyun a smack on the thigh for the stupidity of the last question; "Of course she's a fan, her brother is our member."

She laughed, the sound bringing relief to the whole group. "Well, it's nice to meet you all too. Uhm, let me see, I was born May 1st of 1990 so I think that means Yongguk-ssi and Himchan-ssi are older than me. My favourite song is Keep Your Head Down by TVXQ, I have a big car because it's a nice one and I could afford it, I dance like an old man, I really like rock music and gospel, and yes, Daehyun-ssi, I am a huge fan of B.A.P."

Her bright eyes turned to Yongguk and the rapper almost felt surprised, as if he didn't expect to get so much attention despite the situation. "May I be honest? I'm a huge fan of your lyrics, it's amazing what you come up with, it really stands out from everything being produced."

Yongguk gave as deep of a bow as he could whilst sitting. "Thank you, it means a lot."

The compliments continued around the table and slowly everyone become more comfortable with this woman they had only first heard about hours before. Any bad thought they had about her flew out the window and they began to wonder why they had even thought such things in the first place. It was obvious that being warm hearted was a family trait; though the price of a single meal was enough to feed a single person for a week Junko insisted that it was her treat, dessert included. Yongguk tried - and failed - to convince her to let them pay her back.

"If you want to repay me then allow me to stay with you for the night. I have a home in my name, but it's been sitting for five years and is having some work done. I won't overstay my welcome."

For being gone for five years she was definitely more well off then he would have thought. Suspicious thoughts invaded his mind, but he forced himself to forget them. She was way too well mannered to be of questionable intent, not to mention suspecting a member's family was more than rude.

But as they ate he couldn't ignore the fact that patrons facing their table would turn the completely opposite direction before drinking anything, and as they left he couldn't help but notice everyone they approached lowered their head, conversations that roared around them spiraling into silence in the presence of this girl.

* * *

"This is the recording studio. Yongguk-hyeong writes almost all the lyrics here and he mixes all of our songs too. This is the bedroom. We all sleep in the same place because it's more comfortable, and because Himchan-hyeong gets scared."

"Yah, you punk! Don't do that to my image!"

"This is the living room. Junhong-ah, Youngjae-hyeong, and I play video games here a lot. And this is the kitchen. It's where we eat."

Junko laughed, "wah, my brother is a genius."

Jongup whined as he finished his tour of the dorm. Everyone had gathered in the living room to continue their conversation but it was not hard to see they were beginning to grow tired. It was already 01:00 in the morning and Junhong was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Jongup, the self-proclaimed night owl, was even beginning to show signs of fatigue, his excitement leaving him exhausted. His head landed heavily on her shoulder after minutes on the settee; he had to be half-carried to the washroom by Junhong to prepare for bed despite his whining.

Left with the older group Junko could only smile. "He gets a bit difficult when tried, doesn't he? But he's really grown a lot, and with such manners. Thank you all, really, for taking such good care of him. It's really easy to see how happy he is."

Himchan, walking in from the kitchen, nodded curtly. "Of course. He's a great kid, we're happy to have him. Here, I'll get the spare bedroom ready." Junko insisted on helping, and both left to said room while Yongguk followed Daehyun and Youngjae to the washroom.

"What do you think, Hyeong?" Daehyun looked at Yongguk's reflection in the mirror while both brushed their teeth.

"I think she's a generous person and a good sister to Jongup. I don't know why he didn't mention her before, but that's Jongup's business."

Youngjae leaned against the door frame, already dressed in his sleepwear. "They're really close, that's easy to see. Jongup's happy. I just . . I get the feeling I've seen her somewhere before." Yongguk quirked his eyebrow, but quickly forgot when Himchan whined for his turn in the bathroom. Sharing just wasn't his style.

Assured that everyone was in their beds sans Jongup, Yongguk knocked then peeked in next door to the spare bedroom. Junko was sitting up in the bed tying her long hair into a braid and she gave a little wave not being  able to speak around the hair tie in the mouth.

"How's the room, is it alright?" He asked, standing in the doorway. She nodded happily and finished tying her hair off.

"It's very nice, thank you so much."

He nodded and turned to leave before a sight caught his eye. He turned back and stood a little closer to the bed. "I'm sorry, do you have a tattoo on your left arm?"

Junko blinked in surprise. "Oh, yeah, I do." She rolled up the sleeve to the shirt she took from Jongup. An ornate half sleeve snaked its way down her arm to her elbow, a skull surrounded by waves of tribal lines. "I have another one here to," she chirped revealing a similar pattern of lines bordering the image of a dragon's head on her right arm. "I got them both the day I turned eighteen. I'm pretty good with pain, but this had to be the worst experience at the time."

The art on her skin distracted Yongguk from the meaning of her words, and while he didn't want to get too close he also did appreciate the intricacy. "I didn't think someone like you would have tattoos, especially ones like this."

"My noona is actually a really scary person," Jongup laughed as he walked into the bedroom. The dancer threw himself onto the bed beside his sister and grabbed at her waist to pull her down.

"Yah, I'm having a conversation here, you butt," she hissed, poking her younger brother in the abs repeatedly.

Yongguk straightened his pose and waved his hands. "No, I should really be getting to bed, I'm sorry for keeping you up. Goodnight, Junko-ssi, Jongup-ah." He made his way out of the room as the siblings called back goodnight to him.

Everyone else had fallen asleep by the time he reached his bunk, and when the light in the next room shut off, the whole dorm fell into it's own sleep. Yongguk, though, was finding it hard to follow suit. He was still thinking about what Youngjae had mentioned about seeing Junko from somewhere before. He couldn't help but think back to the actions of the other people in the restaurant when Junko had passed by them, and a woman with her manners and etiquette did not seem like the type of person to have tattoos in the manner she did.

Something about Moon Junko did not sit right with him, but he could not put a finger on it. An hour had passed before he crawled out of the bed  for water, his inner dialogue keeping him from sleep. He couldn't stop his eyes from straying into the room's open door, hoping he could find something that would prove his inner feelings right, as much as he didn't want them to be right.

All he was met with was Jongup curled tightly around his sister's sleeping body, the two forming a tangled mess of body parts as Jongup made sure there was nothing keeping him from being completely pressed against her. Yongguk felt shame creeping up his spine as he traced the peaceful grin on Jongup's face, the image mirrored on Junko's own face, and as he left he failed to see the polished silver of the handgun peeking out from Junko's purse on the floor.

But that was probably for the best. 


	4. Hear.Fear.Here

_"When you're a kid, getting lost isn't just an event or a situation, it's like a career move. You get this thrill of anxiety and fear and a feeling that you've done something that can never be undone."_

\--Ryu Murakami, In the Miso Soup

* * *

 Youngjae groaned, his sleep sore arms fumbling for his mp3 player discarded on the floor. 07:24 was a good time to wake up considering he had fallen asleep at 01:30. Everyone around him was still asleep and moving into the hallway he could see that Jongup and Junko were also still asleep. Looking at the way she cradled his head to her chest made Youngjae wonder what about her seemed so off-putting. He had surely never met her before, he hadn't even heard of her existence before yesterday, so there was no way she could have this much of an impression on him already.

"Maybe she just looks like someone else," he mumbled to the coffeepot much too tired to think without caffeine. "Aish, where are the cups?" When he turned to the sink, Youngjae's attention was caught by the bathroom door quietly swinging open. Curiously he watched Junko, asleep only minutes before, step out and stretch her arms up. Having caught sight of him she gave a curt little wave and joined him in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Youngjae-ssi." Her voice was a raspy whisper, and she smiled shyly before clearing her throat.

"How did you sleep?" He offered her a mug of coffee that she gladly took and followed him in sitting on the barstools once he grabbed himself another cup.

"I slept nicely, thank you. I can't sleep very long, beauty rest isn't really my thing," She pulled her braid over her shoulder and unwound it carefully, letting the long black strands fall over her shoulder.

"Well, I wouldn't say you need anymore, you're already very pretty."

Junko looked at him through her eyelashes, "yah, I thought Himchan-ssi was supposed to be the greasy one, you're the smart one." Youngjae began to feel embarrassed before she assured him with a pat on his forearm. "But no, thank you very much. I'm sure you thought I'd look different being related to the 'least attractive member of B.A.P,' " she purred amusingly, hooking her fingers into air quotes.

Youngjae smiled and attempted to hold a laugh, "Well, you really don't look that much alike. Did you take after different parents?"

"Well, truthfully when I was sixteen I was in a really bad accident; almost everything from mid-maxilla up was broken in some way," she swept her hand from about the bottom of he nose up to her partially exposed hairline. "I won't go into detail, but it really wasn't pretty. The bone work was easy compared the plastic surgery, but I'd say it's pretty acceptable, don't you think?"

"That's terrible. The story, not your appearance. How did you get into such a bad accident?" And how did you afford all of the work?

For a moment Junko's body tensed, and in that instance Youngjae felt the overbearing feeling of unease he had experienced before, the feeling that he and she should not be in the same room unless he wanted something bad to happen.

"Noonaaa," Jongup croaked from the guest room; both could hear him fumbling with the comforter which Junko had to admit he had tangled himself in during the night. Catching his gaze, Junko excused herself, and in that moment of watching her leave, Youngjae remembered how to breathe.

* * *

Yongguk turned away from the hands pushing into his arm and voiced his discomfort in a throaty whine. "It's the morning, the morning is for sleeping."

"It's 10:00, hyeong." Junhong really didn't think the time would make any difference but it seemed like a good way to get Yongguk out of bed. No breakfast until he's awake, Himchan's words repeated in his head and made him shudder in dread. "Come on, Noona cooked breakfast and she made a plate for you."

Yongguk groaned, rubbing at his hair as he slowly sat up in bed. Junhong stood beside him and offered a bottle of water which Yongguk gladly took. "Noona? You're already speaking comfortably?"

Junhong nodded, "she told me to, she thought 'Junko-ssi' made her sound too old." He turned to leave before the elder could hear his stomach growl, but turned back just as soon. "Oh yeah, she and Jongup-hyeong went out for a while. They're coming back a little later because she wants to take hyeong and me to the new comic shop."

"She really is keen for spoiling us, hm?"

"Maybe she's trying to make a good impression. Or she's really thankful for us helping Jongup-hyeong."

Maybe he's right, Yongguk thought as he tossed the comforter to the side. Maybe I'm thinking too deeply into this whole thing. Maybe Moon Junko is actually a really nice person and I'm just looking for a reason not to like her. It was not like him to act this way towards people he had just met; he assumed the upcoming song release coupled with Jongup's graduation had caused him more stress than he had previously assumed. Throwing their meeting into the mix had not done him any good. "I just need more sleep. . . ."

Looking out the window to the snow-heavy clouds dragging across the sky, Yongguk sighed deeply.

Today was supposed to be a beautiful day.

* * *

"Ding dong deng! The time is 11:48 on Wednesday, February 8th! Be prepared for sporadic snowfall through the upper Seoul area-!" Junko threw her head back onto the seat behind her, the slouched position she sat in not quite high enough the reach the headrest.

"It was supposed to be such a pretty day, why does it have to snow now?" Her whines continued as she took her anger out on the traction control button.

"It's just a little snow. It's not really that cold." Jongup's words fueled her annoyance and earned him a half-assed punch to the arm.

"Hey punk, you were born in the cold. I was born in May when you can start wearing cute clothes again."

"Your sweater's cute, noona."

"Ahh, look at you. My little brother is a lady's man."

Jongup could only smile. The streets around them were filled with all kinds of people; couples young and old walking hand in hand, families walking with a child between them, people by themselves almost all of whom were clutching a warm drink. A fortune teller sat in a thick coat near an alleyway and the line of people before him stretched nearly around the corner, eager to hear if their Valentine's wishes were finally going to come to fruition. A little girl sat with her father at the bus stop. She used the little bit of the snow that gathered under the bench to build a small snowman. Even without hearing them Jongup knew her father was praising the handiwork of the lopsided creation.

The longer they sat the itchier Jongup's throat became until it was at the point of unbearability that could no longer be withstood. "Junko-noona." His voice was quieter than he would have liked.

"Hng?" She kept her eyes on the road until they reached a red light, but even then Junko did not look at her brother.

"Do you have to go back?"

She shot him a questioning glance from the corner of her eye. "Go back? Where? Camp Humphreys? Well we're going there now, but I won't have to stay. I just have to get my personal effects."

"I mean back there."

The pregnant pause that filled the car was absolutely deafening. To the untrained eye Junko had no reaction, but Jongup could see the telltale twitch of her right ring finger on the steering wheel that let him know she was deep in thought.

"You know I have to. I have a responsibility, Jongup. I can't turn my back on the House. They've been nice enough to give me time with you before I have to reclaim my seat." It wasn't an easy thing to have to tell her brother, and when he didn't say anything back to her Junko reached out and held her brother's hand; Jongup squeezed hers in response and it made her heart chill.

"I just get scared. I never know if the next time I see you it's going to be in person or a picture on the news. I had to keep you a secret for so long, and now that you're back I'll have to find a new way to hide who you really are."

The Escalade pulled into the parking lot of a coffee shop and Junko killed the power; with no fair warning she pulled her brother into a hug, pushing his face into her shoulder. He embraced her back with hesitation.

"Jongup, I'm sorry. I- You know I'm not good with words." From the crook of her neck Junko could feel him nod.

Jongup felt like he was a child again.

Being the youngest he was always cradled between family members and especially between his siblings at home; Junko being the oldest she always stayed around him to make sure he was happy and cared for, even when he didn't need it. When he cried she was there with her favourite stuffed rabbit, when he was angry she held his fists so he couldn't hit anyone, and when he was sad he knew her bed was the first place he could go - the affection made him feel smothered.

When he was old enough to understand, Jongkeun told him about when he was lost in Los Angeles and how Junko had cried her throat raw looking for him, screaming for him until she had given herself a nose bleed from the stress. Knowing how she hadn't cried since Jongwoo had been born, Jongup couldn't describe how bad he felt; he never took her intense affection for granted again.

Now, being cradled into his sister, Jongup felt like he was five again; he felt like the helplessness from being lost, the shock from his first fireworks show. He felt the happiness of getting a new toy, and the anger of seeing that toy in another child's hands. He felt the timidness of starting school, and the joy of seeing his siblings waiting to take him home.

But most of all, Moon Jongup felt scared. The same feeling he felt being caught in his first thunderstorm, the same feeling he felt waking up alone in his dark bedroom, the same feeling he felt jumping into the deep end of a pool without knowing how to swim. Jongup felt scared, but the thing he was scared of most was thinking that the next time he saw his sister, the one who had taken care of him, kept him happy, the sister who always loved him, could be seeing her picture in the news and paper, the headline "Wanted Gang Leader Dead" screaming back in his face.

And that was the worst fear of all. 

* * *

Yongguk pulled his head out of his notebook, three soft raps from the studio's wooden door drawing his attention to it. The handle turned, the door opened, and Junko's head popped out from around the corner, eyes nearly closed in a bright smile.

"Are you tired of seeing my face yet?"

He chuckled and shook his head, setting the notebook down. "Should I be?" He stood and opened the door the rest of the way to welcome her in, "No, like I said at dinner you're completely welcome to stay around. Especially if you're going to keep spoiling us."

Junko made her way into the room, looking a little closer at the equipment she had only had a glance of yesterday. She held two bags in her hands, one a large white one and the other a typical black convenience store bag. Yongguk eyed them curiously before she turned around to face him, clearing his throat quietly in surprise.

"Speaking of spoiling, I picked something up for you today," she moved the white bag from around her back and held it out to him; Yongguk hesitated in surprise before taking the bag from her grasp. It had some weight to it and when he look in he could see the the spines of five different books looking back at him, three of which were titles he had been meaning to read.

"The comic store I took Jongup and Junhong-ah to was connected to a bookstore, and Jongup told me there were some books you were looking for. The other two are some of my favourites I thought I would impose on you. Lame gift, I know," Junko reached into the other bag. "I realized I didn't know you that well for staying in your house, so I thought we should get to know each other a little better," pulling her hand back from the bag, Junko showcased a six-pack of imported beers. "You don't mind Asahi, do you?"

Books in hand and bag discarded, Yongguk could only offer a shy grin as he shook his head and offered her a seat at the faux leather sofa in the back of the room. "I feel bad that you keep spending so much money on us. You must have a very nice job." He accepted the open can Junko offered him before taking a drink as she opened her own. The beer was dry yet surprisingly smooth and he inwardly appreciated that she had good taste in alcohol.

Junko nodded, wiping her lips before she spoke, "I worked as a mechanic since I was fifteen while attending school. It was more of an apprenticeship, but the shop worked on a lot of expensive cars, so I got a percentage for my work. Since I was still a kid and my parents were paying for Jongkeun and my high school, I didn't have a lot to spend on."

Yongguk hummed in understanding; it explained how she had the money to spare, but it didn't mean that he felt any better about her spending it on him. "Did you two go to the same high school? You are the oldest, aren't you?"

"No, Jongkeun went to a technology high school in Siheung-si while I went to a criminal law high school in Taean-gun." Yongguk cocked his brow, causing her to pause; if she had learned anything about the rapper it's that he wore his interest on his sleeve.

"Criminal law? What were you studying?"

"Well, I started with just basic criminology; I was keen on a job in forensic psychology, but the idea of having a faux 'desk-job' became less and less appealing, so I began focusing on drug enforcement. You know, a job I could take right away without necessarily needing college." Junko took a quick drink, pointer finger extended to Yongguk when he gave her a slightly quizzical glance, "don't get me wrong, I wasn't going to forgo college altogether. Besides, between studying at school and working in the garage plus recovering for the time lost from school because of my accident," Junko waived her hand on front of her face as she said the two words, "I just needed time to be, you know. Junko."

Besides her she saw the movement of Yongguk nodding his head, only then realizing during her tirade that her eyes had strayed to the front of the studio room; she felt as though she had been exposing herself to the cold metal and plastic rather than the much more interested person besides her.

"I heard about that from Youngjae this morning," Yongguk spoke softly, preoccupying himself with the tab of his near empty can. "You're a busy person. No wonder Jongup was so eager to see you again."

"Nope. He missed me because I've been in the army for the past five years stationed at Camp Humphreys," she jumped slightly when Yongguk jumped, his hand slapping harder than he meant it to against the pleather couch cushion. Judging by his embarrassed recovery and the fact he still had beer in his mouth, Junko took a swing in guessing what he wanted to know, a small smirk playing at her lips at the same time. "No no no, the only thing I'll tell you is that I was discharged as a sergeant." Empty beer can placed on the table, Junko hopped up and left the studio, gone for only a few fleeting seconds because of the studio's proximity to the guest bedroom she was occupying.

When she returned she held a black dress zip up bag in her hand which she held in front of him to give him the chance of opening it. Yongguk pulled the zipper cautiously, as if he were handling an antique, and once the garment bag was completely unzipped Junko urged him to reach inside and pull the clothing out which he did with eagerness. The green camouflage uniform was softer than he expected it to be, but still the same tough and durable material one would expect from a military uniform. Junko took the pants from his hands and set them between her and himself as Yongguk unfolded the jacket, locating the front by the patches.

The top one, a standard name tape read 문 준 코 - Moon Jun Ko - guaranteed the garment was indeed hers. On the reverse side was a branch tape, three upward swooping arrows, of which he guessed was the patch of a sergeant like she had said. The rest of the symbols were on the right sleeve, which surprising to Yongguk, had two flags - a South Korean flag followed by an American flag. These were both followed by the Camp Humphreys unit patch. Besides this, the jacket was bare.

Yongguk whistled lowly, laying the jacket in his lap. "I honestly never would have guessed you were in the army." He turned to Junko, who had a curious look on her face, before showing her a shy smile, "Well, uhmm. Thank you," he spoke softly and looked back to the jacket in his hands.

Besides him Junko chuckled softly, opening another two cans of beer before handing him one. "You don't have to thank me, but you're welcome. I was fortunate to not have to fight, but if the time comes, you know who to root for." She smiled again when Yongguk looked up at her and pushed his shoulder lightly before tapping their cans together in a small cheers. She tipped her head back, inhaling half of the liquid - and whining over a developed case of hiccups - before looking into Yongguk's eyes for the first time that night. "Now, enough about me, tell me about yourself, Mr Bang."

Her voice was light and her body language relaxed, but as he spoke about himself, Yongguk felt a churning in the pit of his stomach. He had never felt this way before and the wave hit him again when a long strand of her black hair brushed over his arm whilst she braided it. It radiated through his arms, his legs, up his back, leaving gooseflesh as it passed over him, until finally, this feeling settled in his heart. All at once he felt tense, but relaxed; he felt anxious, but he also felt at ease; he felt as though his muscles were clenched and his throat squeezed, suffocating him - but at the same time he felt melted into place or as if he was so free he could leap through the clouds in one swift bound.

And as he stumbled through his life story Yongguk understood what he was feeling, this primal emotion that had caused his heart to leap into his throat every time Junko met his eyes. Yes, Yongguk knew.

It was fear.


	5. goodbye, halcyon days.

_“Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.”_

\--Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White

* * *

When Yongguk woke the next morning everything around him was very quiet, leading him to believe that he had woken up much earlier than he normally did. A quick glance at his tablet on the other hand proved that it was just a little past noon - normally this would have worried the leader, but the few days of down time they had been allotted before One Shot promotions started again had left him relatively without worry. One quick shower later, he dressed and joined Youngjae in the living room who greeted him with prospects of breakfast in the refrigerator courtesy of Junko.

"Did she leave already?" He asked from the kitchen; Youngjae joined him at the island so as not to keep yelling across the dorm.

The vocalist shook his head, "She took Himchan-hyeong and Daehyun with her to the grocery store. Before, she took me with her to buy a cell phone; apparently you aren't allowed to have one at Camp Humphreys." Youngjae gave his senior a quizzically excited look, as if he couldn't decide how he felt about the information. "Did you know that's where she was for the past five years? She was in the army the whole time."

Sitting in front of him Yongguk nodded, stirring an egg into his rice, "she told me last night. She showed me her uniform and discharge papers too." He took a bite before continuing, "it was surprising to learn, but the country has become more lenient on gender roles. Or maybe she was really persistent."

Youngjae shrugged and scrolled through his cell phone. "That's probably how I remember her." Yongguk cocked a brow, prompting Youngjae to elaborate, "this whole week I've had the feeling that I've seen her somewhere before. If she was one of the first women trained in the Korean army she must've been on the news."

In ront of him Yongguk nodded then flashed the vocal a shy grin around the food in his mouth, "Or maybe she's just so charming you want to believe you know her from somewhere."

"Did you just call Jongup's sister attractive, hyeong?"

Youngjae laughed and got up from the kitchen island, leaving Yongguk and his stream of denials behind him as he picked a bottled water from the fridge. "I'm going to help Jongup and Junhong outside. Noona promised to show her 'grilling skills' as long as we vacate the kitchen."

Yongguk snorted as the balcony door slid shut, pinching the salmon on his plate apart with the metal chopsticks in his hand. No wonder Jongup is so patient with Himchan, he thought amused; he's practically had to grow up with the visual's twin.

* * *

Everyone in the dorm knew the trio had returned before they made it to the door; if the sound of the SUV's large engine wasn't loud enough, their yelling was definitely enough to alert everyone to their presence outside - especially Junko's loud "Jung Daehyun, you punk!" Yongguk threw on a coat to help them carry their purchases - feeling as though he was the only one who had sat around all day, he thought it was the least he could do.

He passed the other two on the stairs leading to the dorm, the only one left at the car being Junko sticking halfway out of the SUV's storage. "Need a third hand?" He mused behind her. Junko looked back and smiled through the long strands of hair falling in front of her face.

"I need an extra metre; just strap me onto Junhong-ah's shoulders and I'll be happy."

Yongguk snorted and motioned for her to hand him the remaining bags which she gave up after reassuring that he didn't mind. Enough meat for the entire Korean army in hand, he made his way up to the dorm, Junko trailing behind after locking her car up. "You weren't lying when you said you would go out with a bang," he held the door open for her with his foot and closed it in the same fashion.

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

He groaned painfully at her pun as Jongup slipped past him into the tight kitchen. "Well, after the great dinner you treated me to yesterday I thought I would be nice and do the same for you. Especially with promotions coming up again you boys need all the pre prepared food you can get." Junko looked back at him whilst patting her brother's back affectionately. "Besides, no matter what you say, I still have to pay you back for taking care of this one." The shy grins she got from both males made her laugh before she ushered them out of the kitchen. "Go, go do what famous people do! Himchannie already promised to help me, you don't have to worry."

Jongup raised his brow quizzically at his sister, "you're already calling hyeong 'Himchannie?' " His sister just shrugged and smiled.

"Just go and dance or something, you butt." 

* * *

 Night fell quickly over Seoul, and the new Moon made only the brightest stars and planets visible through the haze of city lights. Junko sat out on the balcony of B.A.P's dorm, the cold cylinder of an electronic vapour cigarette balanced between her fingers. She had been forced to stop smoking real cigarettes when joining the army - having picked up the habit her second year of middle school - and the electronic versions to her seemed not only a cheaper, but a safer alternative as well. Now she just had to get used to the taste.

Behind her the glass door slid open on it's track and slid closed just as quick; she looked back to see Jongup flash a quick smile before sitting himself next to her and burying himself deeper into his parka.

"Yah," she pushed his shoulder lightly and watched him rock slowly, "what happened to the guy defending the cold weather earlier?"

Even from only seeing his small eyes Junko knew her brother was grinning from beneath his layered collar. "I wasn't full of Noona's cooking and tired then." The dancer scooted closer to his sister when she opened her arms, awkwardly laying half of his body into her - the struggle of having a short cuddle-hungry sister. She rubbed her hand over his arm before kissing his temple and earning a well deserved groan.

"If you're tired then just go to bed. You have a schedule tomorrow anyway."

Jongup shook his head and turned his body so he was laying in her lap looking at the sky. "You have to go tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm taking you to your schedule. Himchan cleared it with your manager, said his sister was taking you all." She heard him hum thoughtfully from her lap. "Besides, you know you can always call me or visit. No one knows you except for Heesung and he would never think to defy me." Again Jongup just hummed.

He closed his eyes and focussed on the feeling of his sister's hand running soothingly over his arm. Ear pressed against her stomach, he could barely make out the soft thumping of her heartbeat. Jongup always wondered how she could always be so calm living the way she did, what with the way his pulse always raced even thinking of going to a fansign. Maybe it was growing up the oldest that made her like this, or the fact that she was the only girl out of the four of the Moon children. Whatever the combination was, he thought, it had made out for a great older sister. He opened his eyes when the hand stopped moving, looking at his sister quizzically.

Junko looked down at him with a soft smile and changed rubbing his arm to give attention to running her fingers through his hair; Jongup closed his eyes again, appreciating the motion. "Do you like it here, Jongup?"

After a pause he nodded. "The hyeongs treat me well - really well. Yongguk-hyeong is a good man, he's really selfless and pays attention to us well. Himchan-hyeong reminds me of you. He's really touchy and funny, and even though he's a lot older than Junhong-ah and me, he plays with us and is really generous. Daehyun-hyeong and Youngjae-hyeong are like that too, but not as touchy. They both are really helpful, especially with singing and school work or if I have a lot of chores. Daehyun-hyeong is really fun to go places with too. Junhong-ah and I talk and hang out a lot. He also tells me about new animes, so that's really cool. It's also fun to have someone younger than me."

Opening his eyes again, Jongup could see his sister was still watching him, a small smile gracing her face. "That's good," she murmured, stroking the short hairs on the right side of his head. "I'm glad you're so happy and so successful. That's all I wanted for you - you, Jongwoo, and Jongkeun." She took a moment to gather her words, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. "I am a little jealous, though. The whole world gets to watch you grow up now, not just us. And you're growing up so fast, god. I can't believe it."

Jongup sat up quickly and moved forward, pulling his sister into his chest like she had done to him so many times. She melted against him almost instantly and cherished the change in positions.

"You talk like you're my mother and not my big sister."

"That's because no matter what happens you're always going to be my baby, Jongup. I know I'm overbearing sometimes, but that's because like every big sister I worry about my brothers, especially when they're famous."

From above her Jongup snorted, hugging his sister tightly for a moment more before standing up as smoothly as he could while keeping his grip.

"Let's go inside, it's too cold out here."

Junko nodded, reluctantly pulling herself away from her brother to stretch and clear the tears from her eyes. Still a baby and acting so mature, she thought, dusting the imaginary dirt from her clothes. "You need to go to bed, especially with how hard it is to wake you up."

Walking inside they nodded to Daehyun who blinked in acknowledgement over the rim of his water glass, wondering if the siblings knew how much of the exchange he had witnessed from inside the kitchen, and wondering if they knew how grateful he felt at the young member's words. 

* * *

 Himchan was beginning to love waking up to the smell of food, especially when the scent wasn’t burnt. Everyone else in the room was asleep, something he wasn’t used to. Then again, he also wasn’t used to waking up to a woman cooking for him. What with how many times Jongup attempted to do the same thing, the visual just assumed it had to be a family trait.

Thankfully, he remembered to put clothes on - as a good host should -  before going out to the kitchen. Junko was exactly where he expected her to be, shifting her weight between her feet standing in front of the stove. He could see her peek at him with the slightest turn of her head once he entered the kitchen.

“I’m hungry,” he croaked, the raspiness of his own voice surprising him.

There was enough Kimchi rice to feed them for a week, a pot of soup with what looked like medicinal herbs, a mountain of steamed eggs, and, judging by the smell, fish roasting in the oven.

She must have been up since four making this, he thought to himself nearly feeling bad. But it was too early in the morning to be feeling anything besides his empty stomach. Himchan draped himself over Junko’s back awkwardly, arms hanging down limply and chin hooked on her shoulder.

“Hungry, or tired?” She asked with a small chuckle ; her back stiffened under his weight. Himchan only hummed a soft agreement, as if he hadn’t even heard her question. “You still have thirty minutes before I planned to wake you up, why not go back to bed?”

Himchan only hummed again, pulling another chuckle from her. The female lifted the spoon resting in the steamed eggs to his lips ; without opening his eyes Himchan took the food into his mouth. She could feel the chewing motions of his jaw on her shoulder and the bobbing of his Adam’s Apple on her back when he swallowed. Junko did this twice more before shrugging him off her back with the ultimatum of either taking care of the food or watching it burn.

“I have to go make a phone call real quick,” she murmured while he opened the oven door.

Once she was sure the patio door was secured and that Himchan would not be able to eavesdrop, Junko pulled a flip phone from her pocket, dialed the only number on it, and listened the the nine monotonous rings before the other end of the line opened. There was so sound coming through the receiver, not even the sound of breathing ; as it should be, she thought.

"The dragon wing of night o’er- spreads the earth," she breathed, and listened to the receiver close before setting the phone on the concrete of the patio before wiping it on her coat and stopping on it multiple times. The plastic covering shattered, leaving only fragments, the motherboard, and the battery. She shifted through, taking the sim card, before sliding the remnants off the patio into a bush below.

Still playing with - and eating - the food, Himchan did not look up until she patted his forearm.

"Go wake up the boys," she chimed and pulled the spoon from his hand. He shuffled away to the bedroom and Junko took the moment to release the breath she had been holding, calming herself down when footsteps raced to the kitchen.

Daehyun was upon her in a second, practically drooling over the spread. His hair was still messed up and he was smacking his lips to get rid of the taste of sleep in his mouth.

"Yah," Junko whined and pressed the handle of the spoon to his chest. "Go wash up and then come back, it'll still be here, goof." He raced away just as excitedly, being replaced by Yongguk who stood just outside of the kitchen, smiling sleepily.

"Good morning," he grumbled, barely audible. She offered a good morning back, flipping off the burners and sliding the food onto serving dishes. He helped carry the food the table just as Junhong stumbled into the room, immediately taking a seat and hanging his head still drifting in and out of sleep. Junko pat his back softly as everyone seated themselves, save for Jongup not yet out of the guest room.

"Feel free to serve yourselves," she chirped, depositing filled coffee and water cups onto the table before slipping down the hallway.

Jongup was sleeping sitting up now with his legs crossed ; he snored lightly and grumbled when she shook his shoulder. "Five more minutes," the dancer whined, trying without conviction to push her away. Still she shook him, cooing his name as a minute passed without any progress. Seeing she was getting nowhere, Junko bent at the knees and slipped her arms around his back and under his knees, rearranging her ragdoll of a brother before lifting. Her legs strained for a moment before getting accustomed to the weight, and, thanking her army training for the muscle, carried him to the living room before tossing him ungracefully onto the sofa.

From the dining room Youngjae made an exclamation of amazement while Jongup finally pulled from his sleep, pushing away from the couch when his sister massaged her nails into his side in a tickle, before the pair joined everyone at the table. Himchan had already made two plates for the both of them which the younger of the siblings happily dug into once he saw it. None of the boys were awake enough to make anything other than small talk, but Junko was no better, the thought of how much weight Jongup had lost eating away at her mind. Coupled with her racing pulse at the thought of what she had just caused downtown, she could almost feel her composure beginning to slip.

Before Junko knew it she was turning the ignition over in her car and watching the weary boys stumble through snow before climbing into the SUV. Yongguk gave up the seat in the front he would normally take so that Jongup could sit next to his sister one last time before their schedules consumed all their time again. Instead, he found himself back by Junhong who looked at him inquisitively for a moment, then in understanding, then not at all when he was drawn to his mp3 ; Yongguk took the opportunity to sleep for a little bit more before having to get hair and makeup done.

Just as he had reached the state between sleep and consciousness he was shaken awake by Himchan. The visuals eyes were wide open as he stared out the window besides where Yongguk was sitting. He glanced to his right, confused, seeing the Seoul Metropolitan Police Station like they did every time they drove from the dorm to the studio.

Then, with a cold shock running through his chest, Yongguk saw it. Nearly the entire staff of the building was standing outside, marking the area off with crime scene tape. Most of them were squawking into their radios, more than likely calling other police stations in the area. the glass in the front door had been busted out and there were thick black chains wrapped around the handles of the doors. Stretched across the front of the building in purple spray paint was a message:

THE KING IS BACK

The car was still with shock, no one chancing to say anything in the fear that they, like their pounding heartbeat, would not be able to stop once they started.

Junko slowly drove past the scene, their vehicle being waved by by an officer with a light baton. She did not once glance at the building.

* * *

 The Escalade stopped around the corner from the building and the boys slowly filed out. Junhong was murmuring in shock about the state of the police station while Youngjae searched fervently for any information he could find. Junko stood by the side of the car, offering a stiff smile from behind the collar of her parka.

“Well, it’s a dramatic goodbye, at least,” she half joked, bowing to a perfect 90 degrees. They all bowed back, even Jongup, and one by one she sent them off with a small personal goodbye.

She shook hands and bowed once again with Yongguk, making sure he had the correct cell phone number written down. Youngjae had prepared a gift of a list of books and films he thought she would enjoy and Junhong much the same with the promise to fill her in if he found anymore good anime series he thought she would like. Daehyun hugged Junko shortly and thanked her for all the food she had prepared for all of them in the short amount of time and Himchan gave her a hug as well, just because he knew that she, like him, appreciated skinship even with those not too familiar.

The five of them waited by the side of the building while Jongup gave his last goodbyes, trying to convince themselves not to listen into what the siblings were telling each other - it would be hard even if they had wanted to, both brother and sister shared a soft-spoken voice.

Near the car Jongup hugged Junko tightly, nearly lifting her off the ground. He sighed lowly and let her go, wishing he didn’t have to ; he knew that with what she had caused at the Police Station she wouldn't be too willing to come near him again until the sensation had died down.

“Thanks, noona,” the teen mumbled, looking to his shifting feet. He wanted to go with her to the warehouse at least, go see Wooram like he did when he was younger, telling their parents that he was going to a friend’s house after school. But now he knew with how successful B.A.P had become, he probably wouldn’t be able to show his face around the area again without the media erupting into a frenzy.

Softly Junko punched him in the chest, pushing him back a step. “Your fans are waiting for you, Uppie. Don’t keep them waiting like I kept you waiting." She pulled him into another embrace before sending him to go to his waiting members, bowing to all of them once more before climbing in her car and leaving.

She waited until she rounded the corner to wipe the tears threatening to fall.

* * *

 The whole building was buzzing with hushed voices ; those standing mingled awkwardly with each other and those who had found spots to sit looked down at the others nervously. The warehouse had been sleeping for the past five years, growing the desolate grime of time passed on the walls and handrails, half of the people there could barely remember what it had looked like so long ago. Everything had been left open to the elements, save for the office jutting out from the centre of the catwalk, hanging stoically above their heads.

A guy in the back told the one standing besides him that he had seen three people go into the office around midnight. The news had made its way to the front until the telephone game had left the entire floor abuzz with anticipation. They had been standing there for more than half an hour already, and in the back, patience was starting to wear thin. They had not been told why they needed to be at the location at such a late hour, they only knew it had been an order from the head, so it had to be important.

From above, the thick metal door creaked open, and at once everyone was silent, All eyes were pointed up, all hearts falling into their feet. In a moment, three figure began to make their way down the stairs ; a woman followed by two men made their way down, step by agonizing step. The men followed her closely down the metal stairs, and all eyes followed the motion of her legs. While they had been ready for anything, they had not been expecting a woman, and especially not a shorter woman.

The three made their way atop the metal platform in the middle of the far wall, glaring lights from above making her face illuminated to all of them. Most mumbled to each other, eyes still no the trio in front of them. A handful murmured in recognition, their tensed muscles easing as they looked onto her. An older man in the back reassured a younger boy in front of him.

Slowly she looked them all over, making eye contact at least once, staring at the few who tried to hide their defiant gaze. Clearing her throat, she raised her head and spoke as imperiously as she could.

“I’m going to make this easy on all of you,” she began stridently. “My name is Junko, the Dragon King and leader of Zero Line, Vanguard of the Thousand Year House ; I have been a part of this family for seven years. Despite this, I have no doubt that most of you are older than I am. As such, if there is every doubt about how Iead you or the decisions that I make for this family, I wholeheartedly implore you to question my logic ; no subject that is brought up can ever be taboo and I guarantee all of you my attention.

“Nonetheless, you will all give me your respect. If you find you cannot treat me as you would your leader or your mother, then I give you express permission to leave now.” Junko motioned to the door, pleased to see that no one moved. “With that in mind, I’ll leave you all to get accustomed to this place or leave if you so wish ; i’m not here to force you, I’m here to guide you.”

Beside her the taller of the two men chuckled under his breath, and Junko restrained from digging her elbow deep into his side. The crowd in front of her waivered where they stood, looking around to murmur amongst themselves before wandering from the floor. One voice in the back, though, stood out above the others.

“So what, is that fucking it?”

Junko, who had been heading back to the hanging office with the two men, turned to look at the direction of the voice. No older than Junko, a man with spiked blonde hair leaned against one of the shipping containers in the far end of the warehouse. He had a look of dissatisfaction spread across his face, arms crossed guardedly. He stared at the three expectantly.

“Ain’t we gonna go do shit? Steal cars, wreck shit, show e’ryone who not ta’ fuck with?” The man threw his arms in the air expectantly, making his way through the crowd. “Or are ya’ scared? Little bitch got ‘er panties in a twist? How the fuck you think you can lead us anyway?”

Besides her the older man tensed, fists clenched tightly at his hips, but before he could let his anger out, Junko raised her hand to silence him. By now the blonde had made his way onto Junko's perch, approaching her with his hands in his pockets.

"Ha' 'bout this, little girl : I'll be king a' this little sausage fest and I'll let ya' play princess, just 'cause ya' got some great legs on ya'." The man's face contorted into a snarling grin, and the closer he got to Junko the more teeth he showed before he was practically breathing down her neck, knee slipped between her legs. And while Junko didn’t react to the advances, the entire building was alive with hushed whispers, angry murmurs, and advocative jeers.

The sound of gunfire filled the blonde’s mind before the pain registered. Once again the warehouse was eerily silent, all eyes tracing the polished silver of a handgun sitting in the female’s hand, vision jumping from his leg to the splash of blood slowly forming on the ground. He crumpled, crying out in shock and holding onto his bleeding thigh, the red life oozing from between his fingers.

“You bitch, what the fuck was that for!?” He stuttered between tears and rolling on his back, leg to his chest. No one else dared to even breath as Junko waved the gun in front of him.

“Ah, now you can speak properly,” she mused, sitting on her heels in front of him. The blonde pulled himself back away from her as quickly as he could, pulling a smirk from her. “You’re crying like that from a little .22? What a pussy.” The two men dragged the whimpering blonde away as Junko turned once again to face the crowd, turning the gun on them.

“Everyone,” she roared, features contorted into rage ; those who were not ducking already joined their comrades closer to the ground, “what is the first rule of this family?”

“Give the King your respect!” they all called back, afraid of becoming her next victim. Slowly, Junko lowered her pistol, her vehemence turning once again into a sly smile.

“You’re goddamn right it is.” Turning on her heel, Junko made her way back to the suspended office, sliding the firearm back into a misfitting holster bouncing against her ribs. “Adjourned!”

 


	6. Twelve Tone Rendezvous

_“You realize that you habitually thought of Mom when something in your life was not going well, because when you thought of her it was as though something got back on track, and you felt re-energized."_

\--Shin Kyung-Sook, Please Look After Mom

* * *

Nine knocks resounded on the door and then it opened ; Junko turned from the sneering demon face of the o-yoroi standing tall to the left of the desk to gaze at the figure filling the door. Wooram immediately bowed his head to her, closing and locking the door behind him before looking back up. His brown eyes glittered in amusement as he closed his arms, shifting all his weight onto one foot and cocking the other knee, resting the foot behind the weight bearing one.

"Was that really necessary?" He hummed, flipping his short black fringe back into place across his forehead. "Shooting him for calling you a princess?"

"I didn't shoot him for calling me a princess. I shot him for not respecting his mother."

Wooram could only chuckle at the woman standing in front of him. He couldn't help but see all the change she had gone through, the physical and the intangible. She was still the same Junko, petite and feminine, a hint of an animal inside, but the aire around her was different, mature and cold. And regretful. He knew she had gone to see her family.

Moving forward, Wooram pulled her into a hug which Junko happily reciprocated.

"I'm glad your back. It's been too quiet without you around."

Junko pushed him away with a short laugh, slinking back to the desk and running her fingertips over it. She reveled in the cold kiss of metal running up her arm. She grabbed a picture frame sitting in the centre, looked at it once, and set it face down back on the desk.

"Aren't you older ones supposed to like silence? Peace, serenity, a world without crime?" She stared with a stoic gaze into him, features graced with a hollow smile. "Leaving a good world for the younger generation?" She didn't let him answer, instead grabbing the thick black parka discarded on one of the lone black leather chair sitting in front of the desk. "I'm sorry, I don't have time to catch up, I have a meeting with the Primordial King. You know I can't afford to be late."

Even for a woman she was being uncharacteristically short with him ; Wooram wondered if he had done something to offend her, overstepped her boundaries somehow, threatened her reign. No, if that had happened he was sure that she would tell him.

Wooram remembered when she had first walked into that warehouse -- she had only been sixteen and fresh into high school, yet she had found herself in the seedier part of Seoul, sitting legs crossed on the hood of a 1986 Toyota Corolla that looked like it had some work done on it. Her gaze was fixated to the flip phone in her hand, thumb moving rapidly sending text after text. How a student found where they were hosting the races he would never know, but if she was so willing to lose her car, he would let it happen.

The more the night progressed, the more pink slips they amassed and the more cars they added to their yard. When it came turn for Wooram to earn his victory, he was surprised to see the Corolla pull up next to him. The two cars contrasted greatly, the faded white of the Toyota next to the chilled black of his 2006 Nissan Fairlady 350z was comical to say the least, but being the man he was, he was not going to disrespect her, so he stepped from his car when she did and shook her hand with a small bow. The woman acting as flagman approached both of them, hand out. Wooram pulled the pink slip for his Fairlady from his pocket, Junko producing hers from her bra. He peered at her dark irises once more before climbing back into the driver's seat.

Even the sounds of their engines were drastically different, the quiet hum of the Fairlady was just about drowned out by the rumble of her Carolla, but he could not help but appreciate the power behind the sound. The flagman looked both of them in the eyes, hand in the air, before throwing it down quickly.

Wooram wasn’t surprised when he reached the first curve before she did, spotting her car not too far behind him. A least she was able to keep up, he thought. The parking pawl he had installed the previous week worked flawlessly, locking the transmission; once he felt his rear wheels lock, Wooram floored the accelerator and ripped the steering wheel to the side. The crowd roared for him, jumping and waving their arms, distracting him long enough to miss the white Corolla slipping through the curve past him.

“Shit,” venom dripped from the curse as he pulled his head back into the race. In the little amount of time that he had been looking at everyone she had managed to overtake him thirty feet down the stretch of the parking garage. He couldn’t catch up to her in time to make the next turn first, but by some grace of God he was able to take the inside corner, and in the next stretch he was in front of her again, placing himself in the centre of the pavement to prevent her from passing him again.

Frustratingly, her face seen from his rearview mirror remained stoic, as if he wasn’t even there in front of her. It’s fine, he thought, I’ll be the winner anyway, always am. A fatal mistake, he watched her face longer than the road, and the screams of the crowd became mistaken for the cheers he heard before. Behind him, Junko’s face became panicked. Finally, he sneered inwardly, she realizes how badly I’m going to beat her ass. Wooram looked back to the road and realized why she looked so panicked ; he had slowly deviated to the left while he was staring at her, headed straight into a wall that had been lined with people before.

Curses flew from his mouth as he ripped the steering wheel to the right. The Fairlady’s rear tires locked and his car drifted just past the wall, fender tapping against the concrete wall as the entire vehicle skid to a halt. Wooram’s pulse slammed in his ears and his mind drew a blank until he watched the Corolla drift the corner ahead of his and it’s driver flashing him a smirk as she pulled further towards the finish line. The race isn’t over, he told himself twice before shifting back into drive and taking off after her. He wasn’t going to win, she was too far ahead of him, and by the time he had gotten to the winding ramp that lead to the rooftop, he knew he was much too late.

The Corolla was sitting next to the white RX-7 that he knew to be his boss’, he and Junko standing in front of them. Wooram cut off his engine and walked forward with the Fairlady’s keys in hand. He was fuming, but he knew she had beat him, his pride getting a hold of him in the worst moment. He held his hand out to her, keys dangling from his pointer finger. But she didn’t take them.

Junko’s fingers pressed into his cheek, turning his head side to side, up and down.

Wooram looked at her bewildered, “what are you doing?” She looked his over again, circling before coming back to look at him.

“Are you alright? You almost crashed. I was worried, but you looked fine.” He stared at her, trying to determine if she fucking with him or not. Even past the coloured lenses her gaze looked sincere.

“I’m fine,” Wooram grumbled, before dropping the keys into her hand and stalking back to the crowd. Junko watched him leave before the older man standing next to her drew her attention back to him.

A male grinned deviously in front of Wooram, watching his every step the closer he got. Just as he stepped besides him, the younger male leaned forward, his words ghosting past Wooram’s ear.

“The poor yazi beat in his own game. How pitiful.” The racer glowered at the other male, watching as his lips pull into a bigger smirk.

Wooram planted a hand into the other’s chest and shoved him, the other stumbling back a few steps with a snicker, watching the Zero Line member stalk away.

“Piss off, Heesung.”

Seeing Junko again the next day was not Wooram’s idea of a good time. But there she was, standing in the boss’ office suspended in the warehouse they called their post. He bowed to the head, the Dragon King, a well kept man well into his forties. Everything about the man was peremptory. His single breasted suit, the silk purple shirt underneath, the snarl of the dragon peeking around the nape of his neck, the pale scars littering his features. Hell, the grey contacts he wore felt as cold as the steel blade set on the wall behind him. Wooram didn’t stand until his leader told him to do so.

“I’m sure you recognize her,” the Dragon King asserted, motioning to Junko who bowed. “And I’m sure you know why she is here.”

Wooram could only nod. Like him, there was no doubt that she had been brought here because the leader had become impressed with her ability, and felt she would make a good addition to Zero Line. Wooram was not very surprised, he had been impressed with her that night.

“She will be our new bi’an.”

His blood ran cold. “Father!” He stammered, his hands coming around from behind his back. “Bi’an? What happened to being a 49?”

In front of him the Dragon King stared into his eyes, his annoyance boring into him. Wooram ducked his head and dropped to his knee, bowing not only from respect, but fear.

“Yes sir,” Wooram said quietly. He knew from the other man’s silence that he was to leave immediately. Outside the closed door, he could hear the muffled conversation within, and when Junko emerged, she greeted him again.

“Brother,” her voice was as strident as the leader’s, “thank you for welcoming me to your family.”

He nodded, and led her back into the heart of warehouse. 

* * *

Wooram looked around the office again, eyes stopped on the desk Junko stood at before. Without thought he approached it, grasping and turning the picture frame resting on the desk. His eyes wandered over it, looking at the three smiling boys staring back at him, and he had to wonder how much she regretted that day. 

* * *

As the black sports car made its way into Seoul, shores turned into skyscrapers, headlights of oncoming cars, and neon signs beckoning passersby into their shops. Businessmen stood spaced apart at bus stops casting glances to phones and watches when not watching for the scheduled bus. Tired youth made their way to schools, cigarettes and toast balanced between their lips. Finding this day warmer than the last, a worker abandoned his parka in lieu of a thick materialed coat. Along with these other drifting impressions, a woman pushing her baby in a tram disappeared behind the car window, swallowed by the quiet engine rumble.

Behind the wheel Junko sighed ; she knew she would have to come back to the city, no matter how much she really didn’t want to so soon. Glancing at the clock it had only been five hours since she had dropped Jongup and the others off. I wonder if they’ll see me, she thought solemnly, knowing how erroneous she sounded. They’re working a real job, an honest one. They earn their money like real citizens of Korea.

She shook the thought out of her head and turned away from downtown, following the emptier roads until the glass front of the insurance firm towered over her car. How ironic.

In the underground parking a man in a double breasted suit stood against one of the concrete walls. Unlike all of the other areas, this wall was only occupied by four other cars all set apart from one another. She took the one in the centre, void of six spaces on either side. Before she could push the seat belt off of her chest the man was next to her door. She couldn’t see his eyes past the sunglasses he wore.

The door between them pushed away from the chassis and tilted 90 degrees until they sat vertically, pushed by the hydraulic hinge that connected them to the car. Her heels clicked against the pavement and she grabbed the hand he held to her and stepped away from the car.

“I’m glad to see you’ve spent your money well. 2004 Koenigsegg CCR? It must’ve run you a billion won,” he mussed, large hand pressed to his chest as he dropped to a knee and bowed.

“Don’t talk to me,” her words were flat, Junko turning away and stalking towards the elevator, leaving her escort behind.

He only chuckled and watched her leave.

She didn’t understand the need for the metal detectors leading to the top floor. Of course she had metal on her. Removing the jewelry she wouldn’t have worn before was a pain, but the gazes she caught laying the Ruger SR22, K5 Triple Action, and .357 Magnum onto the table besides the device was less than flattering. Nevertheless, the over-sensitive alarms sounded above her head, and with a discontented look to the guards, she lifted the back of her shirt to show the two metal balls pierced into her dimples of venus. Waved through, Junko replaced her firearms and continued to the looming cherry wood doors at the end of the tiled stretch of hallway.

There were no men standing at this door, odd considering what was taking place behind it, but the concern of eavesdropping was understandable. She rung the buzzer, something that felt to foreign after five years ; the receiver at the other end opened.

“A flood visits the Dragon King Shrine not recognizing one’s kinsman." Again a wash of discomfort flooded her being, and Junko did everything within her person not to let the emotion show on her features.

Black painted walls greeted her on the other side, and welcomed by no one, she made her way to the unfriendly tempered glass table in the centre of the room. Four males watched her approaching figure, each one she knew well, each she shared a different part of her life with, both pleasant and not. She took the seat that had been given to her the first day she set foot in this room. Like that day, she could feel the tangle of emotions pooling in the pit of her stomach. Looking side to side, both seats surrounding her were empty - perhaps the Flower King had taken her place of being the last to show.

Across the table a man stared at her, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. His vision traced over every feature of her face, seeing what had changed in the woman. She didn’t look much different, he had to admit ; her features were all relatively the same. But behind her grey contacts, he could see how much she had aged. An old soul in a young body, he mused to himself, a sad thing to see here.

Her eyes flickered to her silent admirer.

“Brother,” she quipped, “I’m ecstatic to see you too. But the longer you stare, the less I will be willing to drink with you later tonight.”

He could only chortle at her claim. “At least my Little Dragon didn’t change too much while defending our country.”

Junko threw him a chaste smirk.

Somewhere a door opened, and at once all the members rose from their seats and dropped into a ninety degree bow. A chair slid almost silently across the wooden floor, but no one rose, not until the gravely grunt of a man who had seen everything allowed them to do so ; everyone sat.

Despite his age their leader was a handsome man ; shaven, kempt, and learned, he exuded an aire of power and trust, a hard thing to come by in the business they ran. His dark eyes landed on Junko, who quickly bowed her head to him.

“Father,” she greeted warmly, smiling to him as she always did. This was the man that she held close to her heart, the one who had welcomed her and rebuilt her, the one who made her the Dragon King.

He smiled back as a man who smiled to their toddler. “Junko. I’m so glad you are safe and back to us. We’ve waited for your return, and welcome you back gladly.”

She couldn’t tell him how much she hated how formally everyone spoke here.

The leader’s gaze continued around the table catching the gaze of everyone who sat in front of him. “I’m glad to see all my children, sons as well as daughter, and I commend you for keeping your faith in the loss of your brother.”

That’s why the seat besides her was empty. Junko thought back to the man that normally sat besides her, Mung Jibae, the Flower King. It explained all of the foreign yet familiar faces she had seen in the warehouse earlier ; they had been the former members of Y-Den, the gang he had been in charge of before his death.

“Junko,” she broke from her daze to look back at him, “I hope you will pay your respects to your lost family soon. And as Vanguard, I hope you will have no objections to taking the duty of Straw Sandal as well. Your syndicates are closer, so taking control of Incheon and Gyeonggi should be no problem.”

Junko pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. This was arguably the last thing she ever wanted. She had no problem taking the duties of the liaison officer - more often than not her original Vanguard duties crossed into those of the Straw Sandal - but taking control of Gyeonggi was what bothered her. Despite how big of a port and transportation city Incheon was, the work wasn’t hard, but most idols weren’t based in Incheon.

“Daughter,” once again the commanding voice of the Mountain Master pulled her from a daze.

“Yes Father, I have no qualms,” she assure instantly, bowing her head to him and then smiling. He did not return the expression, instead turning to the man one seat away from her.

The rest of the meeting proceeded quietly even with the thoughts of panic screaming in Junko’s head. Her discussion was distracted, answers absentminded, but if the others noticed no one paid it any heed. The only strong voice she possessed was used when she bid her leader farewell, the both of them pressing a soft kiss into the other’s cheek before she left the room. Bidding her other brother’s farewell she waited outside the door until the one seated across from her emerged from the meeting room.

He cast her a tempered smile and led the way to the elevator ; neither of them spoke until the door opened to the parking garage.

The guard who had welcomed Junko set his gaze on the male once before entering the elevator and leaving to the upper floors. Alone, Junko sighed in relief and grabbed onto his arm.

“These heels hurt,” she whined to him ; he laughed in return and supported the smaller female to either of their vehicles.

“Then don’t wear them. We know you, you’re scary enough without being three inches taller.” Watching the hydraulic powered door of Junko’s car opening he could only whistle, taking her hand to support her as she sat back into the driver’s seat. “Realm?”

“Realm,” she sang back to him, waving as the door lowered between them. She watched him get into his own car and smiled fondly.

Geum Hyunbin was her fellow Thousand Year House member. Known as the Tiger King, Hyunbin was the leader of Absolution and arguably the only person she could consider her rival. Towering over her, Junko could not deny that he was an attractive man ; his grey blonde dyed hair complimented the honey tone of his skin handsomely and his slim muscular build was a magnet for the other women around him. If not for his smug and childish demeanor, she would gladly ask him for a date outside of their daily activities. But she got the feeling such a playboy would not make a good boyfriend. Regardless, this did not stop either from their bouts of cordial flirting.

The streets haven’t changed at all, Junko thought to herself as she followed the white 1997 Mazda RX-7 weaving through traffic. The meeting of the Thousand Year House leaders had lasted much longer than either of them had thought and now the only thing on their mind was food. Positioned around nearly every street corner was a police interceptor - she could only smirk at every glance she caught from the officers. Even if they knew it was her who ordered the chaos at the department building, there was no chance of a successful chase - limited to 215kmh the only thing they would hope to catch is the glimmer of their taillights.

* * *

Yongguk dabbed at the sweat running down his neck. He could feel the music broadcast through the huge stage speakers in the hallway lined with dressing rooms. Inside their own his members sat in all different locations occupied in different activities, save for Himchan who had left with a coordi noona for a coffee run. The leader sat next to Youngjae who occupied the cheap leather couch against the wall, eyes glued to the screen of a tablet.

“Anything good?” He questioned the younger male absently, leaning back and closing his eyes in hopes of a nap. Instead the metal edge of the device tapped against his hands. Yongguk opened his eyes again, looked quizzically to Youngjae, then back to the tablet placed in his hands.

“I found her.” Youngjae’s voice was nothing more than whisper, for privacy or from surprise neither of them were sure.

On the LED screen was the image of the woman who had dropped them off earlier. Initially, Yongguk thought nothing of it. This is probably what the vocal had mentioned before, an article showcasing Junko as the first Korean female trained in the army, But the more he read on, the more his heart sank into his stomach.

 

##  **Chosun Ilbo**

####  **Seoul Metropolitan Area : Suspected Gang Member charged with third degree murder pardoned of jail time, will serve army training as punishment**

####  **MOON Junko (18), on trial for the manslaughter of confirmed gang leader OH Changkil, has been pardoned of jail time and will instead serve five years training on the US Army Garrison Camp Humphreys on charges of racketeering**

_Following the discovery of the corpse of OH Changkil (47) after a suspected gang dispute, teenager MOON Junko (18) was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter, being found with the handgun suspected of being the murder weapon on her person. The handgun in question was wiped of fingerprints and no bullet casing was found._

_With no concrete evidence linking MOON to the crime, the courts acquitted MOON of the charges. Instead she will be serving five years punishment training with the American and Korean soldiers station on US Army Garrison Camp Humphreys located near Anjeong-ri and Pyongtaek metropolitan area._

_Citizens have voiced outrage over the ruling, claiming it to be too lenient of a punishment for the crime committed, while others claim the charges have no basis and are too harsh considering the lack of evidence._

_There has been no information regarding the family of MOON or persons involved. MOON is to be released in 2012._

 

Yongguk stared at the screen, scrolling through it again and again as if it would cause the information to change. Silently he dropped the device back into Youngjae's lap, standing and leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him.

From a makeup station Jongup stared nervously at Youngjae, trying to read the elder's expression. Finding nothing, he stood from the plush chair and followed the leader out the door, afraid of what he would find on the other side.

Against the opposite wall Yongguk leaned his forehead onto the cool pressed material of the wall. Jongup approached him apprehensively standing an arm's-length away from the older man. No one dared speak a word, both choosing to breath silently in the tense environment.

Yongguk broke the silence."Did you know?"

"Yes." Jongup answered truthfully, voice but a murmur caught in his throat. "I saw the article when it was published. Noona didn't have the chance to tell us herself."

"Is this why you kept your sister a secret from everyone?"

"Yes."

"Would you have told me?"

"No."

Yongguk pulled his head from the wall, looking solemnly to his dongsaeng ; Jongup fought the urge to avert his gaze.

"You wouldn't have told us? That you brought a criminal into our home? A murderer?" His voice stayed low and baritone. Even as enraged as he felt, Yongguk could not justify yelling at his band member.

"Noona didn't kill anyone. She took the fall for someone else, someone else in the gang." Jongup struggled to defend his sister's actions, hands clasping nervously at his sides. "Changkil was already bleeding out. He asked another member to kill him, to preserve his honour. She took the fall for him so he wouldn't go to prison . . ." His voice spiralled off into silence.

The rapper's eyebrows furrowed as he turned to the shorter male. "Oh, she's not a murderer, she just protected one? She was in a gang, Jongup. Is she still a gangster?" He watched Jongup's mouth open, then close, the dancer's eyes falling to the floor. "She is, isn't she?"

Jongup didn't see the point in lying, his hyeong already knew everything he had tried to hide.

"She's their leader now."

Yongguk combed his fingers through his hair, feeling the bonds of the hair gel breaking between his fingers. Maybe he did fall asleep on the couch. Maybe this was all a sick dream. He truly hoped he was right.

Behind them the dressing room door burst open. Daehyun stared at the two, out of breath and brown eyes bugging out of his skull. "Hyeong!" He screamed. "Himchan hyeong is hurt. He hurt his hand - he's going to the hospital right now!"

Yongguk looked from Daehyun to Jongup. "We'll finish this later," he breathed before taking off after the vocal down the hallway.

Jongup wiped his eyes before chasing after the four other males. 

* * *

Junko slammed her glass onto the wooden table and threw her arms into the air, breathing hard out of her nose. "Fuckin' first! You need to catch up, hyeong, you can't drink anymore."

Across the table Hyunbin set his glass down more gently and sighed. "Yah, don't call me hyeong, it's unlady like. Call me oppa, oppa," he scolded childishly. He grasped another piece ojingeo bokkeum with the metal chopsticks in his hand and tossed it into his mouth, chewing aggravatedly.

She scoffed at the male and poured another round of soju. "You wish I would call you oppa." Leaning over the table, Junko parted her lips, and with heavily lidded eyes mocked the sound of moaning. "Oppa, oppa," she teased, drawing out the last syllable.

The other gangster hid his face and whined. "Stop. You're a baby, you can't be sexually active." Junko laughed at his reaction and picked herself back off of the table. Grasping the glass and holding it to Hyunbin, she smiled warmly, cheeks flush in a light pink.

"I'm sorry, I've just missed teasing you for the past five years. Besides, I have to take on double duty starting tomorrow, I want to have as much fun as I can. Cheers, Oppa?"

Grimacing Hyunbin raised his own glass, tapping the two of them together before downing the volume.

"You've ruined that word for me forever."

 


	7. Dumdum-Dummy-Dumbstruck

_" I heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Life seems harsh, and cruel. Says he feels all alone in threatening world. Doctor says: "Treatment is simple. The great clown - Pagliacci - is in town. Go see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. "But doctor..." he says "I am Pagliacci." Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains. "_

\--Rorschach, Watchmen (2009)

* * *

The Seoul National University Hospital was old but durable. Standing twelve storeys tall, the 'X' shaped building housed all kinds of patients: Minour injuries, broken bones, burn victims, birthing mothers, newborn babies, and the generally ill. It even had a counter for those passing through to pick up their prescriptions. Being the largest room, the lobby connected to the kitchen, cafeteria, and all of the wings. In the back was the entrance for ambulances and, not by coincidence, all of the emergency treatment rooms. The wing directly opposite housed the patients with non-fatal injuries. This wing was were Himchan was laying in his room, doped up on painkillers with a cast wrapped just past his mid-forearm.

Across the hall Jongup sat stiffly next to Yongguk whose head was laid back against the wall. Daehyun, Youngjae, and Junhong had sensed the tense atmosphere, later excusing themselves to the cafeteria for coffee and discussion. Eight hours had passed since Himchan had slipped getting into a company van. Having misplaced his foot, he stretched his right hand out to catch himself against the steering wheel, and ended up with a dislocated ring and pinky finger, and an impacted fracture in his fourth metacarpal. There was nothing the hospital could really do other then set the bones, wrap him up, and help ease the pain with a cocktail of drugs.

In the time he was being treated, Jongup had spilled any and all information of his sister to the leader. He told Yongguk about how she began taking an interest in cars around the time he was born, how she had gotten in trouble in school for fighting the students that bullied others, how she had both gained and lost friends for doing so. He spoke about how their uncle in Los Angeles let her stay with him for her last year in middle school so she could help out at his auto body shop and how they had been robbed about a month after her arriving - around that time was when she took an interest in becoming a police officer because of how they had saved them from the situation and arrested the man in front of her. He explained how she had to be hospitalized after being stabbed by one of the high schoolers who she stopped from harassing her new friends.

"Noona still managed to come out on top," he chuckled blankly.

Jongup recalled how she had gotten in trouble for skipping the high school entrance ceremony in Taeun-gun to get a tattoo, a batman symbol above the scar of her stab wound. Their father found it not only amusing but fitting, their mother not so much. He informed the leader how she had gotten in trouble not too much longer for taking up a job in another auto body shop near the school, but was forgiven after making up a sob story of their family being poor and earning money for not only hers but their living as well. In a much more solemn voice he disclosed Junko's battered face after her accident (which he was not as open about as all of his other stories) and how Jongkeun and Jongwoo had let him cry in their room after he saw her bandaged up in the hospital.

It was around the time that Junko had moved to Taeun-gun by herself that she became involved in Zero Line. None of the family had any clue she had joined a gang until the police commissioner from Taeun showed up at their front door. He told their parents what she had been arrested for. that since she was so young with no prior record the charges would be lenient. He told them that she was crying, how she pleaded and begged that her family would not be involved and that their relationship not be disclosed. He took pity on her, not as a police officer, but as a man and a father. On his word there would be no mention of them, not in the records, reports, or to the media.

Jongup told Yongguk that all he could fully remember from that day was how his mother sobbed in the kitchen late into the night, Jongkeun taking his brothers out for dinner with his own allowance.

Now, Yongguk found himself at a mental impasse. He knew Jongup would not lie to him, he never had. He also knew that Junko was a criminal, a gang leader, and as noble as her actions seemed, she was still breaking the law. But in the back of his mind a thought gnawed at him : he had seen how she acted acted around her brother and the rest of the members, how attentive and patient she was with all six of them. Putting the label of criminal to Junko seemed so foreign, a judgemental faux pas to put the woman who had showed them so much kindness and charity on the same level of the kkangpae plastered across the nightly news. Miffed he ran his hand through his hair again and stood from the bench.

"I'm going to go grab a muffin from the cafeteria. Do you want anything, Jongup-ah?"

The younger gave him a grateful smile. "No thanks. I'm going to check on Himchan hyeong." Inside, Jongup was relieved that the rapper seemed to hold no resentment towards him.

Luckily, the word of Himchan being hospitalized had not spread to the media yet, and being six in the morning there were not many patients yet up and around. Stretching silently in front of Yongguk, the hallway was without another soul, so he used this time to brood.As if the stress of his best friend being injured wasn't enough, Yongguk fought with his heart, and prayed that the rest of this day would unfold as uneventful.

Even the lobby was relatively empty. The nurses waved at him and he waved back, approaching them to ask exactly where the cafeteria was located. The male pointed down the hallway with a warm smile while the female did her best to hide the shy smile that graced her features. Thanking the both of them he made his way wearily down the direction he was pointed, walking through the swinging doors.

Daehyun was the first person to spot Yongguk when he walked through the door, but seeing as though the room was empty of anyone other than staff and the singers, he could not say he was too surprised.

"Hyeong," he called out and raised his arm as if the leader couldn't see them. Yongguk nodded to the vocal and grabbed a muffin and coffee, happy the little bit of money he had was enough to cover the cost. The seat besides Junhong scraped noisily against the cheap linoleum when Yongguk pulled it out to take a seat. No one spoke a word until he had torn a bite of the pastry off and tossed it lazily into his mouth.

"Is Himchan-hyeong awake yet?"

The elder shook his head and washed the sweetness out of his mouth with a gulp of lukewarm coffee. "Still out of it. Jongup is sitting with him now, he didn't want anything to eat, so he decided to watch over him." He watched the three others nod, the whole table turning to silence once more.

Yongguk debated silently whether or not he should tell them what Jongup had disclosed about Junko. They should know, but was it his place to tell them? No, he thought, it should be Jongup. Even though Youngjae knew, Yongguk could tell from the worried glances from the vocal that he had not let a word about what he had shown the rapper hours before ; whether it be out of anxiety or respect for the younger's family, he couldn't say but had a feeling it was the former. He sighed inwardly and traced over the empty muffin cup in front of him with his gaze.

For once his thoughts had become as silent as the room around him ; all of his thoughts melded into nothing, all of the emotions he has felt before disappearing into a state of quietude he only found in slumber. Yongguk wasn't sure if he had found peace or had fried his mind, but there was one thing he knew for sure. He needed sleep.

Absently the four of them continued in their small talk. They didn't stay on a single subject for long before another one popped up and took it's place. A single glance at the clock showed that they had managed to kill an entire hour and a half before Junhong pipped up besides Daehyun.

"We should go back to the room," he mentioned shortly. Nodding, the three others stood, pushed in their chairs, tossed their trash in a nearby bin, and ambled through the lobby. Even now there weren't many people about, and after taking a small moment to great a father bouncing his newborn in his arms, they turned through the yawning double doors to stop just as they began down the hallway.

In Front of Himchan's room was Jongup standing stiffly, gaze bearing down onto his feet, the first time the four had seen him look uncomfortable in front of his sister. Saying they felt any different would be a lie.

"Hyeong," Youngjae choked out quietly besides Yongguk who made no motion to show he had heard him. The image in front of him was so unlike the one he remembered that it made his mind spin even more. The jeans and hoodies were abandoned for a toothsome white pantsuit, crew cut tees and covered skin traded for plunging necklines and overly generous cleavage, sneakers exchanged for heels, parka foregone for a fur trimmed coat, bare face masked with makeup, innocent disposition cast away for sultry intimidation. The only thing that remained of the woman he thought he knew was the waterfall of black hair - even her eyes seemed so foreign, unreadable behind the grey contact lenses she noticed him with.

Junko's expression faltered when she met gazes with the rapper. Slowly, unsurely, she smiled and began to approach them. "Ah, Yongguk-ssi."

Just leave, he screamed silently.

"And Daehyun, Youngjae, and Junhong too." She was twenty feet away.

Never come back, his still hands motioned.

"I heard about what happened to Himchan." Thirteen feet away.

You're a monster, his quiet gaze bellowed.

"Is he alright? I didn't go inside. Uppie said he was asleep." Six feet away.

I want to hate you, his pounding heart whispered.

"How are you all dealing with it?" Junko was practically on top of them.

Disappear, his motionless figure demanded.

"I hope everything will be alright." She smiled blankly at the four of them, casting a quick glance back to her brother who stood his ground. Even without much being said the tense atmosphere developing between the two oldest spoke volumes to the other's about her reception. Daehyun, Youngjae, and Junhong cast worried glances between the male and female, looking to Jongup for any cues in his body language of which none were found.

Yongguk took a step closer to her and kept his adamant gaze. "You shouldn't be here." He didn't know why he expected Junko to give a reaction to his words, and he had to wonder again why he wasn't surprised when she didn't. "Jongup told me. He told me everything about you. I-" Looking down at her, Yongguk found he had lost the words he worked to prepare all morning.

To say he knew something like this would happen would be a lie ; the man was not a clairvoyant, he could not plan out the actions in his life like the author of a story. Being one to live in the present, he found himself often not planning for the future, something that had gotten him in different stages of trouble in the past.

But unlike then, he was not just caring for himself. He was not the youngest anymore, he did not have parents or siblings taking care of him. Now Yongguk was taking care of five other men, men who did not need to be taken care of, but at the same time would be lost without his succor. And while it was not his job, Yongguk felt the need to protect them, protect them from stress, from failure. Protect them from harsh words and harsh actions alike. Protect them from things he could not stand any resistance to. And now, protect them from their own families.

But looking down at the petite figure before him, he felt an overwhelming sense of weakness. Yongguk could stand up to the world for the sake of the five men he had grown closest to, but standing up to Moon Junko felt impossible in the most unlikely of ways.

"Everything? What's everything?" She didn't meet any of their gazes, staring just past all four of the gazes locked on her. "I'm just here checking up on Himchannie. It's terrible what happened, especially after a comeback."

“How did you know he was in the hospital?”

Junko raised a brow, gazing back through him. Yongguk wondered if she could see his unease.

“What do you mean? It’s - “

“No one but us, our manager, and the people who were working on the comeback stage know that Himchan is hospitalized. The company and the hospital know better than to release the information, and none of us have a personal phone. There is no way you could have know we were here.” He paused.

For once their short time of knowing each other, Yongguk watched Junko squirm uncomfortably. There was no way he could have know that she was a terrible liar - being in the army made the impossible task that much harder for her - and he couldn’t have possibly learned all of her ticks by now. The twitch of the finger, the toss of the hair over her left shoulder, the shifting from foot to foot, Jongup is the only person who could have seen these minute changes in her that gave away her dishonesty and even then it had taken him years to grow familiar with them.

Junko drew herself out of her stupor by looking down at her feet, hair falling back from over her left shoulder to shield her face. Looking back up just as quickly, she could see her brother now standing behind his bandmates, away from her. This drew a smirk.

“I knew you were smart from the moment I met you, Yongguk.” Arms crossed guardedly, her smirk turned into a frown and puckered brows. “I’m here collecting money from the hospital, their shobadai. This building was built with the House’s money, way back in 1947 when they first started constructing the new building after the Japanese left. We even made the memorial for the massacre victims.

“We have a very good relationship - we helped them build, expand, manage. Hell, we even bailed them out of the financial crisis in ‘97. In return, they give us a monthly allowance and don’t ask if we have to bring someone in. This is a good hospital, they have to stay open, for us and for the people of Korea. I mean, they did do a wonderful job on me.” Mockingly, Junko traced her chin with a thin hand, head tilted up as if she enjoyed the feeling. “At least, I think so. Don’t you?”

Her attention shifted to Youngjae, arms once again wound in front of her torso. “While we’re asking questions, let me ask you something, Youngjae.” The young vocal stiffened.

“Remember filming the music video in Manila? Pretending to take a beating for the camera?”

He stayed quiet.

“Do you?” She hissed again. Youngjae nodded. “Did it hurt?”

Again no response.

“I asked you if it hurt!” Junko’s voice was a bark now, brows knitting further in annoyance.

Youngjae managed to choke out a quick no.

“I bet it didn’t. You’re a good actor, but there are some things you can’t pantomime. Fear is a good example of one of those somethings.” She turned her attention to the group as a whole again. “Let me tell you, there is nothing enjoyable about being held and beaten against your will. I can remember feeling the bones cracking, my face swelling with every new broken blood vessel and structure. I can remember choking on my own blood as I tried to scream and sob for them to stop. Thugs don’t listen, it’s almost universal knowledge. But when you’re sitting there, battered and broken, asking yourself and God whether you are going to make it out alive and back to your family, you try anything.

“I remember asking myself if it would be worth it to live. God, that was a real tough one. I still don’t think I’ve reached an answer. I still had so much to do, I thought. I wanted to graduate college, get married, have children. But in that moment all I could think about was the pain and how I wanted it to stop, how I wanted it to end, whether it be with their boredom or my remaining life.

“In the end it happened to be their life that ended. Like some real wild west bullshit, I was saved, guns blazing and blood flying. All for me and my inability to protect myself. They didn’t even ask for a ransom, I knew they just wanted to make me and the rest of my gang suffer at the results. Let me tell you, we did, it was quite the shock what some people can stomach doing to a teenage girl. I was surprised they didn’t rape me. Lord knows I wouldn’t have fought back. Maybe they just didn’t have the time.”

Junko’s own statement sent a chill through her body that she hoped the others were not able to see. Junhong looked down at the ground with a grimace ; she had nearly forgotten how young he was and how the subject was no doubt something he was heavily disturbed by.

“But,” Junko continued with a carefree motion of her hand, “just one little pop into this hospital and a few weeks of lying in a sterilized bed, and bam.” She snapped. “Little ol’ Junko is good as new, brand new face and a brand new life. At least, a little newer.”

Silence permeated the hallway around them, suffocating all six bodies. No one met Junko’s burning gaze, not even Jongup who stared at his fidgeting hands held at his waistline.

Yongguk was looking to the door of Himchan’s room, Junko’s words causing him to wonder if it was okay for him to be in this hospital. If what she said was true, this was a gang hospital, something he thought only existed in movies. He sucked his lip into his mouth, fists clenching. It was frustrating, knowing he had no influence over his best friend’s well being, but as long as the company was the one paying the bills, it would always be their word over his, not matter the reasons he brought up with them.

A man rounded the corner. He wore an expensive suit and was balding, an older gentleman with an uneasy expression. He approached Junko, finally drawing her attention away from the group.

“Dragon King-ssi,” he man muttered, bowing until the bald patch on the top of his head was completely visible. He presented what looked like a small travel bag to her, not moving from his bow.

In return Junko laughed loudly, clapping the elder on the back - he stumbled slightly. “Drop the ‘Dragon King’ nonsense, I told you just call me Junko. After all the years you’ve know me and all the things you’ve done for me it’s not like we’re strangers. C’mon, lighten the fuck up.”

Standing up straight, the man still did not smile. He passed the bag to her which Junko gladly took. Casting one glance at the boys, the man shuffled back off around the corner.

“The hospital director,” Junko introduced to them as if they were old friends, but no one gave her a reaction. “Well, since I have what I came for, I guess I should leave before someone calls the police. But don’t think it will help, most of them already work for us.”

Junk did not want them to know this was a bluff, so she waved the bag in front of her face to hide any unwanted expression that managed to creep over her features before sauntering towards them.

They moved as a wave, shuffling backwards towards the shut door of Himchan’s room as if a barrier to whatever calamity her motion brought. Jongup on the other hand stood his ground, glancing to his sister. His eyes held a myriad of expressions that she found she could not read. It pained her to know she was causing her brother this much trouble and pain. This is the last thing she wanted, dragging her brothers into the problem that was her life. If only I could stay in Incheon, she thought. If Junko was a believer of God, she would’ve been sure that their constant meetings was His way of punishing her for this lifestyle.

But she did not know the comfort of religion, and as such did not have anyone to blame but herself.

Jongup stayed still as she combed her fingers through his remaining long strands of hair, breaking the hairspray that kept its form, before pushing his head to her level. Her lips met his forehead for a fleeting moment before she released him again.

“I love you, Jongup.” Any more words would have surfaced the sob pressing into her Adam’s apple.

There were no more words between them, no more looks, no gestures, no acknowledgement of each other’s existence, and it would have stayed that way if Yongguk didn’t step forward.

“Where are you going?” He demanded, wishing he had just let her walk out the far door.

“Incheon,” she called back, not stopping her canter. “It’s where Zero Line calls home. But don’t worry, we’re not near anyone you love.” With that, she left without a glance back.

Yongguk felt his heart drop into his ass. He didn’t know what was worse ; her being based near his family, or the fact that she knew he had family and where they were. Yongnam and Natasha both lived in Seoul, but his mother, father, and grandmother still lived in Incheon. Gangster or not, he would hold her to her word, knowing how important family was to someone like her.

Someone like her, he thought to himself again. What type of person was that? A criminal? Murderer? Liar? Woman? He wasn’t sure anymore. Behind him he heard a sniffle - he knew without looking it was Jongup. He was astounded by the strength the teen was able to show.

From beside him Daehyun grasped the back of Jongup’s head and pressed his face into his shoulder. The younger didn’t fight back, accepting the vocal’s grasp as quiet tears blurred his vision. Junhong set his hand on the shorter dancer’s shoulder and Youngjae shuffled around the three awkwardly but wanting to show his care.

Brooding, Yongguk moved to the bench he had been sitting with Jongup and picked up the book he hand been holding before any of this happened. The Five People You Meet in Heaven ; The words stared back at him. It was one of the books she had given to him, the one she had stuck an adhesive notecard to with a star. It was his bookmark, and when he flipped to the page it was stuck to, the message there made him feel sick.

_“I’ll try my hardest to make it there with you.”_

He tossed the book into the garbage.


	8. Back To The Innocence

_"You are the sky. Everything else - it's just the weather."_

\--Pema Chödrön

* * *

It had been nearly a month since Junko had last seen BAP in the hospital. She lay on the loveseat against the wall, comforter laying across her hips. There was not yet enough light filtering through the high rise's top office for her to make out much, but sitting up the beach a handful of miles away was still visible through the full length windows. Waves lapped lazily at the sand, wearing it away decades at a time.

She gazed through the wall of glass, listening to every breathe drawn, thinking back to the last holiday she had been there with her family - her real family.

Way back when Jongup was little they had driven out to the Incheon coast, car loaded to the brim with tents, toys, and enough fireworks to charge admittance. Their mom and dad worked to set up two large tents and a sun canopy while Junko and Jongkeun set up the folding table and chairs near the firepit. Jongwoo and Jongup watched everyone do their part, talking excitedly about the fireworks they would shoot and the food they would make together. It was Jongup’s first time actually using fireworks instead of just watching them, and the boy couldn’t wait for the sun to go down.

“Noona, Hyeong!” Jongwoo called as he skipped up to Jongkeun and Junko sitting panting in the sand after a tussle with the plastic bench.

“Yes?” The twins called back, turning their heads at the same time. They were much more in tune with each other as children, watching the same cartoons, dressing in the same colours when they didn’t mean to, waking up at the same time and wanting the same thing for breakfast. The only thing they didn’t have in common anymore were school subjects ; Jongkeun beat out the school in history whereas Junko had placed in all the math competitions to date.

Jongwoo jumped onto the older twin’s lap when he reached them, Jongup followed suit but just choosing to stand near Jongkeun until his brother pulled him into his empty lap anyway. In Junko’s lap Jongwoo wiggled excitedly.

“Can we do the fireworks yet? Mom and Dad said that Jongup and I can do them if you help because you’re old.”

Jongkeun laughed loudly at the middle sibling’s words, patting his head from where he sat in the sand. “Older, not old. Why don’t we wait until the sun goes down so you can see the fireworks?” Looking up Jongkeun could see their mother smiling fondly at them as their father pat the sand off his knees.

He had cleared the firepit of old wood and burnt beer cans, mixing the ash left behind before getting ready to look for driftwood. The man knew his youngest son would love to see the show of different colours the wood would put off as the metal salts reacted with the fire, but he would have to remind them to be extremely cautious of the smoke.

Looking to his wife he couldn’t help but smile, pulling the giggling woman to him so they could both admire their children playing happily together in the sand. They let Junko wrestle Jongwoo into the sand until Jongkeun finished the countdown before Mr Moon called the boys to help gather firewood and Mrs Moon had Junko help prepare their dinner for roasting.

As the afternoon wore on the children grew tired of making sand castles and hunting for new shells buried in the sand, but not nearly as drowsy as their parents. Their father would sneak away every once and awhile for half a cigarette, and their mother would have been napping if she weren’t checking the kimchi stew over the fire every couple of minutes. Jongwoo swore he had caught them kissing, but at eight he didn’t know much about love, just that it was something parents did.

Before they knew it the sun had disappeared, and with full bellies they watched the stars erupt into view, a new distant galaxy popping up the longer they gazed into the darkness above.

Preoccupied, they didn’t notice their father sneak into the back storage of the family car until he dropped a footlocker full of pyrotechnic surprises at their feet. Jongkeun didn’t have to look to know his brothers were shaking in excitement - even Jongup, the shyest of the siblings. Mr Moon handed Jongkeun the butane stick as Junko gave her younger brothers a crash course on fire safety and corralled them closer to the wet sand and waves.

An hour had passed before the firework supply had a decent dent in it. Jongkeun and Jongwoo chased each other along the shore with Roman Candles. About 10 feet away Junko sat on a towel, her ankles crossed around Jongup who sat in her lap with a sparkler in his hand. His eyelids were drooping after his escapade with the low grade explosives, head bobbing as he tried to stay up with his older siblings. Smiling, she ruffled his dark hair, watching the last bit of ashes fall off the end of the sparkler and into the sand.

“Noona?” His lethargic call was met him a low hum. “Do you think we can do this every year? With you, and Jongkeun-hyeong, and Jongwoo-hyeong?”

Junko rested her head on top of her brother’s and smiled wider when she felt his small body relax further into her’s. “Did you like the fireworks that much, Jonguppie?”

“I do. But I like being with you and the hyeongs more.”

Her hold tightened around Jongup ; the steady rise and fall of his chest slowed against her arms as he slipped further into sleep. From down the beach Jongkeun and Jongwoo raced after each other to where their other two siblings sat. Jongwoo opened his mouth widely, preparing to let loose a mighty roar, but when he saw his younger brother sleeping so soundly he swallowed the mouthful before it could surface.

“Noona!” He whispered loudly, half out of consideration and half because he was out of breath. “I love fireworks! C’mon, let’s do more!”

The eldest shook her head as lightly as humanly possible. “Uppie’s already asleep, and Mom and Dad are getting ready for bed. We can finish them tomorrow, okay?”

Jongwoo sighed lightly before smiling and nodding - beside him Jongkeun laughed. The twins maneuvered their limp sibling until he was resting soundly in Junko’s arms. She carried him gently into the children’s large tent and set him down on the sleeping bag near the centre. Junko had to sleep in the middle of her brothers otherwise a ‘wiggle-fight’ would break out in the middle of the night between the youngest and oldest brother. Jongwoo liked sleeping on the edge of the four because he seemed to give off more body heat than the others and as such got hotter when he slept. Jongkeun slept on the other edge, effectively sandwiching Jongup between him and Junko.

Teeth brushed and water bottles lined up nearby, the twins sat just outside the opening of the tent. Jongkeun braided Junko’s hair while she watched the two younger ones ; Jongwoo had fallen asleep as soon as he had laid down. Junko could tell he was trying to fight off sleep just as hard as the youngest. Even if he was two years older than Jongup he still had a bit of growing up to do before their similarities would completely disappear.

“Keunnie.” A low hum came from behind her. “Did you and Jongwoo burn each other?”

Jongkeun laughed quietly, tugging a strand of her hair and earning a small yelp. “Not too badly. Just like when you and I shot each other with Roman Candles. Remember? When I accidentally lit part of your hair on fire?”

“Why do you think I was so hard with them about fire safety? I had to cut the rest of my hair to even out the length. It was the shortest I had it since we were born.”

As if he knew what she was going to say, Jongkeun tossed the finished braid over her shoulder. “Is that why you always make me braid it?”

Both of them dusted the sand off of their legs. Junko flashed her other half a bright smile, twirling the thick braid clumsily around her finger. “No, that’s just because my arms get tired.”

“Then cut it off, you don’t really need it.”

“Then you cut your dick off.”

Jongkeun cast her a wild look before looking to their parent’s tent across the fire pit. “Don’t cuss! Mom and Dad might hear you!”

Junko covered her mouth to keep from waking the younger two with her laughter. “What? That’s a name in English, you know.”

“Really? Who’s named Dick?”

Both of them settled down around Jongup who turned towards Junko. From behind her Jongwoo moved back just far enough so that his butt was pressed against Junko’s, the closest he would ever get while they slept. She could do nothing but smile, wrapping her arms once again around Jongup.

“Batman’s sidekick, Robin. His real name is Dick Grayson.”

Scoffing, Jongkeun stretched his arm over Jongup’s side until his hand rested on Junko’s elbow. “That’s not fair. Robin isn’t real, you just like Batman too much.”

“Fine, then you can be Dick.”

* * *

The memory replayed in her mind the whole drive to Seoul. Junko hissed a sigh and composed herself the best she could, pulling into a parking spot in the far end of a flower shop’s lot. The shop, though large, was rather inconspicuous and made the perfect location for what was to again become the base of a 1000 Year House faction.

Since the passing of Mung Jibae, the number of men Junko commanded had become overwhelming. Zero Line was the smallest faction of The House as far as numbers went ; the Vanguard was in charge of assisting the Incense Master, so despite being on the same level of Deputy Mountain Master and Incense Master it could be said that she was not as big of a cog in their wheel of malfeasance.

But a few days ago, word had gotten to her that Y-Den was to be rekindled. Ho Seyoon, Zero Line’s Straw Sandal, came to her with news that a man was to be made the new leader of the former gang, and as such she had to make arrangements for the induction ceremony.

A young woman was pruning roses at the counter when Junko entered. The woman glances up quickly before frantically dropping her shears and shuffling around the counter. She dropped into a deep bow as Junko closed the door.

“Dragon King,” she greeted stiffly.

Junko shuddered both at the title and the artificial chill of the shop. “Just call me eonnie.” The young woman straightened and smiled, returning to the flowers.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you.”

“Since I was been arrested, right?” Junko leaned on the counter, watching the other woman’s precise movements with the clippers. A thorn landed near her arm which she flicked across the counter. “How has business been?”

“Quiet. Not nearly as many repeat customers.”

Junko knew what she meant by this. Because she was acting as the Straw Sandal to make up for the late Flower King, all of their informants and protected businesses had been coming to her office instead of the shop. Few civilians came to this shop because of their high prices for the low standard flowers, and that was exactly as they liked it.

“Business will be picking up again. We’re planning a party pretty soon, and I heard this shop will be getting a new owner. You won’t be bored anymore.”

The florist chuckled sarcastically, moving onto the next rose in the bouquet. “Bored? Nothing is ever boring here, especially with you here.”

Before a retort could be made, the door to the flower shop opened again. Not expecting another customer, Junko turned lackadaisically towards the door - and soon regretted it.

A man the young leader had grown very familiar with stood in the doorway, looking just as shocked as she before their expression changed to a mix of anger and humour. With his hands tucked arrogantly into his pant pockets Detective Mok Cheolki leant against the shop’s glass door.

Middle aged, his hair was swept back, neatly groomed and trimmed. His suit fit nicely, the jacket open to expose a crisp white shirt and his badge hanging in the middle of his chest from a chain. If it weren’t for their rocky relationship, Junko could have considered him decent.

“Well, well, look at what dragged its way back into town. It’s nice to see you again, Junko.”

She returned his gaze with a glare and turned until the small of her back rested against the counter. “You’re greeting is a little late there, Detective. I’ve been back for a while. Did you miss me?” Junko slid her hands into her own pockets mockingly. Cheolki moved to cross his arms.

“That’s a nice suit you have there. Lawbreakers like you live better lives than us. Right?”

“Of course. It’s only natural. We do this with our lives at stake. We’ve got to be good at living.”

He leaned away from the door and took a few steps forward hoping to use his height as an intimidation tactic. “You’re right. If you want to stay alive.”

Junko could practically smell the minty musk of his breath as he stood not five feet away. “We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow. Why not have fun today?”

In a flash Cheolki gripped Junko’s bottom jaw in his right hand, putting enough pressure on it to cause her discomfort. On the other side of the counter the young woman slapped her shears onto the counter, hand jutting towards the area below the counter, but before she could grab anything Junko motioned for her to stop. Head angled upward her lips curled just enough to form a grin.

“Your grip has gotten weak, Mok. Didn’t have me to throw around for exercise? Or is Momma being too soft on you?” Her voice was wavering with her throat torqued into an awkward position.

Cheolki gave her a quick once over, turned her head side to side pulling a growl from the bound woman. He knew how easily he could turn the situation and decided to end it before he did anything to get written up for. Instead, he opted for an easier option ; tightening his grip on her maw, the officer pulled the woman away from the counter and gave her a hand shove backwards. The top heavy throw sent Junko tipping off her feet and into a plastic stand holding vases of bright blossoms.

Glass smashed on the tile floor as flowers and water flew. Junko sat in the middle of the mess, head down as she felt the water creep through her layers and hair.

At the counter the woman flung her hand towards the door, glaring deathly at the man. “Get out of here. Now.”

Without a glance the detective reached into his suit and produced a wad of multi coloured bills, tossing them onto the counter and turning to leave without a glance at the two women. “Hope today isn’t your last, Moon.” The door eased shut behind the retreating figure.

The florist sighed and grabbed the money, counting it quickly. It was more than enough for the damage done.

“Not a boring day. Especially with you here, Junko.” From the floor she heard a snort.

Junko wished for nothing more than a boring day.

* * *

Hongdae is one of those places that has more people at night than they do in the day. Neon lights paint the streets in a psychedelic glow and the number of people stumbling or being carried far outnumbers the amount of people walking straight. The problem was, this was one of the only areas where one can find a bar with private, rent-able back rooms for drinks. Which is exactly why Bang Yongguk is staring out of a heavily tinted window, watching the people pass and hoping he didn’t anyone looking back - he knows there’s no chance that anyone could, but the mind is not too easy a thing to fool, especially his.

The far door swung open and his brother walked in, all smiles and handfuls of beer. Yongnam set a trio of Sam Adams in front of his seat and a matching set of Asahi Super Dry in front of his twin. Behind him was a man carrying a tray of drinking snacks, and after he unloaded the grub he bowed and left, shutting the door softly behind him. The older of the twins popped open a bottle of each with the opener supplies before settling down on the floor across from the other.

“Since when does my little brother drink Japanese beer?”

“We’re 12 minutes apart,” Yongguk retorted with a small smile and lifted the bottle to his lips, reveling in the smooth, dry flavour.

“Well, I need something to brag about.” Yongnam took a swig of his own drink before handing the other male a pair of metal chopsticks who gladly accepted. Yongguk, though, didn’t follow Yongnam’s lead in digging into the arrange of food, and this set something off in the older. He glanced at his brother staring whistfully at the grey label of the bottle in his hand. “Are you still thinking about your contract?”

Yongguk shook his head without a reply. It was true, his contract with TS had gone south once BAP had been formed. None of the six boys were allowed cell phones, and if he hadn’t lied about serious family trouble, Yongguk would not have been allowed out to see his brother. Discussions had been had amongst all the members in private, but until Junhong turned 19 in Korean age, there was nothing they could really do. The young rapper had been nearly brought to tears with guilt, cursing his age for their predicament, and the others reassured him again and again that it was not his fault, and that it would never be his fault. No one blamed him, so he should never blame himself.

Yongnam brought him back out of his trance. “So, is it a girl?” He secretly hoped it was.

Yongguk shot him what was supposed to be a pointed look. “No,” he hesitated, “I mean . . . yes?” He raised his hands defensively. “Yes, but not romantically.”

There was a look of shallow disappointment on Yongnam’s face. Yongguk could only sigh.

“Look, if I tell you anything about this, you can’t say a word. To anyone. Promise?”

“Of course,” Yongnam reassured completely serious. Yongguk sighed again before launching himself into a lot rant about what he had been keeping in for the past month.

“I mean, I should have seen. Jongup was so helpful and creative. I thought he had just gotten a lot of ideas from a manga. Even before we debuted he came up with using “the king is back” as a catchphrase. Was I just being a bad leader? Not listening to them enough because I’ve been focussing too hard on our music?”

Yongnam watched his twin inhale half of his third beer while he still turned the bottle of his second one, still cold, in his hand. “Yongguk, you’re not a bad leader. You even said Jongup didn’t say anything about even having a sister until she showed up. You read the newspaper every day, but there is no way in hell you could know they were related, especially when they didn’t mention her family in the article you showed me. I mean, how many people in Korea have the name Moon?

“Besides, how can you tell if someone is a gangster, especially a woman? Unless they have something like a huge ass scar over one of their eyes, it’s damn near impossible.” Yongnam finished off his second beer. “I feel like you’re fretting over something you have no control over like you always do. I know, you have a hard on for the law, but what can you do realistically? You’re doing nothing but keeping yourself up at night.”

This sent Yongguk into another long bout of silent thinking. Yongnam let him have his moment of internal struggle before offering an ideo he had been mulling over since all this information was dropped on him. “Introduce me.”

The rapper sent the rocker a bewildered look. “What?”

“Let me meet her. You know I’m a better people-person than you. You’re a great guy, but you’re shy. Besides, it’s the least you can do for missing my birthday.”

“Our birthday,” Yongguk corrected.

“Our birthday,” Yongnam repeated. He watched his twin shake his head and bring the beer bottle back up before realizing it was empty ; he set it harder than he meant to onto the table.

Yongguk shook his head, eyes closed. “I don’t know if I’d be able to see her again.”

“Is she ugly?”

For the first time in the last 20 minutes Yongguk laughed, albeit dryly. “That’s the thing, she’s gorgeous. She has manners and is well spoken too. I just don’t understand why she turned into a gangster, especially while studying the law for Christ’s sake.” Yongguk fished the mp3 player from his pocket, his only means of messaging his family and friends even if it was dependent on wifi. With a swipe he unlocked it and hunted for the picture he couldn’t bring himself to delete. Junko and Himchan had forced everyone to take a group photo to commemorate the dinner they had made together the day before she left.

He slid the device across the table to his brother who scooped it up quickly. The female in question was front and centre with the visual, both smiling brightly. Yongguk was at the far end of the table looking like he was truly enjoying himself at the faux family dinner. Yongnam whistled lowly and zoomed in for a moment before passing it back.

“You’re right, she is pretty. All the more reason for me to meet her.”

Defeated, Yongguk shook his head and looked his sibling dead in the eyes. “I can’t tell you no, but I’m not introducing you. She lives in Incheon, that’s all I know. With how gangsters are today I have no doubt they have a business office with their name on it somewhere. Just look for that, but look for it alone. I’m not even supposed to be here, let alone in Incheon.”

Yongnam nodded in complete understanding. He could read the worry on the other’s face from a mile away. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll Skype you whenever I leave so you can know I made it out alive.” The relief that spread through him when Yongguk smiled was palpable throughout the whole bar. “Now, why don’t we actually talk about something fun. But before that,” Yongnam hopped up to his feet and moved to the door. “More beer!” 


	9. Too Early To Trust

_"We stopped looking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside of us."_

\--Charles Darwin

* * *

 “Now put your finger into your mouth, and tell me how it tastes.”

Junko watched the half naked man in front of her, kneeling on a large piece of white paper, do just that. He was Japanese, of average height, and had no tattoos anywhere on his slim pale body. The man looked up and answered confidently that it tasted sweet.

Another man, this time standing in front of the other, did not waver. This man was Jin Hanseong better known as the Heaven King. Within Thousand Year House he was the Incense Master and as such it was his duty to be leading this ceremony.

The location of the ceremony was the basement of the flower shop she had just been in earlier in the day. After a quick change out of her soaked clothes, Junko returned accompanied by the other other leaders and their leader, the head of The House who stood just a few feet behind her. The room itself was bare of any furniture save for the red covered table separating the Japanese man, Hanseong, and her from the others in the room. On the table itself was just a few things ; burning joss sticks, a pin she had used to prick the mystery man’s finger, a knife, a paper doll in the shape of a man, and the newly replaced glass of wine. Otherwise, it was just as barren as the rest of the room.

Hanseong went to explain that one should never rat out their brothers - and sister, in this case - for any amount of money or other bribes. “If one of your brothers is in trouble and the police are seeking him out so desperately that they are willing to pay for information, would your rather have money or your brothers?”

“My brothers,” the man once again answered without hesitation.

Junko reached behind her for the knife on the table, grasping it firmly before approaching the man. He looked up to her briefly before Junko swung the blade sideways, smacking the man across the face with the flat of the blade. She returned to her previous spot and handed the knife off to Hanseong who in turn used it to begin slicing the paper doll into pieces.

“This is the informant. He ratted out his brother, and in return his punishment is death.” The last bits of the doll fell around their feet. He spoke in an old Chinese dialect to the man who repeated it - this went on for a while more before the ceremony was done. Everyone in the room wet their pointer fingers and thumbs with their saliva before snuffing out one of the eight joss sticks. It still burned, but Junko did her best to not show the pain.

Their leader called the now dressed man aside while everyone else reconvened outside of the closed door.  Junko was the first to speak.

“Finally, I can stop having to run my ass off between two provinces to make up for a hole in the group.” She sighed in relief and pulled the slim metal e-cigarette out of her pocket, taking a drag of fake tobacco flavoring into her lungs.

Hyunbin slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Junko was too tired to fight back, mind blank and full at the same moment leading to exhaustion.

“Don’t worry, Little Dragon, you can get your cat naps and manicures in now.”

The other men laughed and carried on with meaningless conversation. They were cut off when the door eased open ; everyone bowed deeply to the two men standing the opening and did not straighten until The House leader cleared his throat.

“This,” he pat the back of the Japanese man who smiled too fondly, “is Sone Terumoto.”

“That has to be a pseudonym, right?” Sun Ilha, the Sun King of Lion Dawgs, spoke incredulously while looking him up and down.

Junko put the back of her hand against his chest. “No, Terumoto was a feudal lord who built Hiroshima castle. Sone-ssi was probably named after him.”

Terumoto turned his smile to her and nodded appreciatively. “You’re right, Dragon King. And please, don’t feel the need to use formal language with me.”

Then don’t call me by that stupid fucking name, she thought bitterly. Physically she just nodded and returned half a smile.

The leader continued. “He will be our new Straw Sandal. Daughter, you are relieved of your duty and men. Continue with your work as Vanguard from this day forward.” She nodded wordlessly again ; the elder turned to Terumoto. “As leader, you have the power to rename your title and group. Do you choose to do so?”

Terumoto didn’t hesitate to give a response. “Yes. Flower King does sound nice, but I don’t feel it really suits me.” He chuckled quickly before straightening his expression. “The Glass King has a nice ring to it, I feel. Y-Den, though, can stay.”

“Then it’s decided. Children, please welcome your new brother among us.” He nodded his head to the group as a whole who bowed deeply making, taking his leave until stopping. “Ah, yes, my age nearly made me forget. Why not have a show of skill amongst you? In two days time we shall host a race. Junko, this will give you ample opportunity to become acquainted with Terumoto and have your men spread the word. Y-Den could use some fresh meat.”

She nodded again, dropping back into a bow with the men until the door up the stairs shut firmly. One by one the other men excused themselves until only Hanseong, Terumoto, and Junko were left. Hanseong bid them farewell and retreated back into the ceremony room.

Left outside together Terumoto offered his hand to Junko who kindly accepted. He supported her up the stairs and out into the parking lot where their cars were parked side by side, the only two remaining in the lot. Beside the Koenigsegg was a black Honda Civic Type R. The red interior shone dimly through the tinted windows and made the car that much more alluring. Judging by the smaller frame and higher spoiler, the car was the FD2 model popular in the world of Japanese street racing.

Junko pulled her hand from Terumoto’s and whistled lowly.

“I’m guessing that means you like it,” he quipped bemused.

“Yes like. Very much like,” Junko didn’t know whether to blame the attractive car or her physical weariness for her lack of sentence structure.

Quickly coming up beside her Terumoto spoke lowly, almost whispering, “Well, maybe you can see what more it has to offer in a few days.”

She couldn’t place it, but something about his words and voice made Junko uneasy. She sidestepped away from him and flashed a soft forced smile. “Maybe. If you can get ahead of me, that is.” With each word she took a step towards her own vehicle until there was a fair distance between them. The door began to lift away from the car as soon as she pulled the handle, and Junko wasted no time taking a seat and closing it again.

Pulling out, she lowered the window and waved to the man still standing beside his car.

“I’ll see you then, Terumoto.” She gave a tentative wave and pulled away without waiting for his response. Mind aflutter, Junko ran two red lights and merged without signalling, only the honks of the cars she nearly ran off the road pulling her back from the fog in her mind. Too unnerved to drive, she pulled over and made a quick call to Wooram back at their office.

“I’m going to the warehouse, I have too many things on my mind to be at that building right now.” Wooram gave a short reply and hung up.

Whenever Junko was in any state of duress she would return to the warehouse where she had begun her criminal lifestyle. Back then Zero Line did not inhabit the office building, it had been a new addition made while she had been in training at Camp Humphreys. To modernize and accommodate, the Primordial King had said, whatever that could have meant. She didn’t need an office, she needed a space to work out of. She didn't care for the flashiness, the power, the high standard they were expected to hold. She just wanted a ways out, a way to make the change she wanted to see in the world.

Junko had realized all too late that the route she had taken from school was not going to do her any good ; the police in Korea were no better than hall monitors. They didn’t carry guns, they didn’t chase criminals, they couldn’t even lay their hands on a suspect without worry of the precinct being sued, all because of South Korea’s worry that they would become like their neighbouring northern dictatorship. But that had led to a downfall of citizen who assumed that they could get away with anything. Unless someone was killed, the police were going to do nothing, even if the evidence came and slapped them in the face.

But now, Junko found that she could do the things she had set out to do, even if it was only in an allotted area. It was painfully ironic to her that the only way she had been able to make change was to join the side that she had grown up hating. The amount of drug trades she had shut down shocked her. The amount of crimes by loan sharks in her area had dropped such a staggering amount that the news couldn’t wrap their head around it for a whole month. All because she realized that the side she had been fighting for was the losing one.

Businesses were no longer targeted by petty criminals because of their influence. A chunk of money went to Zero Line and the rest stayed in the owner’s banks were it deserved to be, not in the veins of a junky looking for a ways to their next fix. Junko didn’t like the word criminal, she thought of herself as a vigilantly, almost - at least, if she lied to herself enough, she began to believe it.

And she almost stayed believing it until she met Sone Terumoto. There was something there, something she could see in him, something she felt when he held her hand that led her back to the idea that she was doing something bad with her life. You are a reflection of the people you have around you, and Junko knew that if she stayed around Terumoto that she might end up seeing something horrible in that reflection.

Before she knew it, Junko was sitting against the hood of the Koenigsegg, the large garage door of the warehouse open towards the shore. She could see the piers from where she sat, smell the waves, feel the salty breeze pepper her arms with goosebumps. She just needed to get under the hood of a car to clear her mind.

A few feet away was the Fairlady she had won from Wooram all those years ago. Just recently the transmission had blown and was in need of rebuilding, and nothing cleared her mind more than tinkering with the chrome maze that was the car’s engine. A quick change of clothes and she was delved into her work, tools scattered and grease splotched.

Nearly half of the way done, a knock on the thin inner wall of the warehouse had her pulling away from her slouched position over the wooden workbench. There was a figure standing in the opening of the garage, she could tell, but the lack of natural light outside drew her attention away. How long had she been working on the transmission that she had lost such a huge chunk of the day? Junko shook her head and turned back to the person - a man - that had come to her.

In an instant she was caught off guard, but just as quickly relaxed.

“Can I help you?” She stood from the bench and wiped the lubricant off her hands with a rag that had been there longer than she had.

A familiar smirk flashed across the face of who could be considered a stranger. “What are you talking about? It’s me, Yongguk.”

Junko shook her head with a smirk of her own. “You are not Bang Yongguk.”

It was true. The man in front of her looked strikingly like the singer she knew, but there were minute differences that painted the picture of a completely different man.

“Hey, I know we haven’t seen each other in a month, but you couldn’t have forgotten.”

“I know you and have never met. And if you honestly think that Yongguk would seek me out, you are completely out of your mind.” Junko eased herself away from the workbench and held up a hand as soon as he opened his mouth again to speak. “You must be Yongnam. Yongguk’s twin, right? Sure, you look and sound alike, but take it from someone who also has a twin. You are definitely not the same person.” Now standing in front of him, Junko held out her hand. “But it is still a pleasure to meet you, even if you tried to trick me.”

Knowing his cover was blown Yongnam smiled sheepishly and reciprocated the handshake. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I - “ He found himself at a loss for words. He understood all too late what a dangerous situation he had put himself in. Yes, Junko was smiling at him, and yes she was more than half a foot shorter than him, but it didn’t dismiss the fact that she was a dangerous person. What his brother had told him about their first few days together had lulled him into a false sense of security that if he wasn’t careful could prove deadly.

“Don’t worry.” Junko released his hand when she caught him staring apprehensively at her. “I know Yongguk told you about me. I know that’s why you’re here. If I know anything about him it’s that he wouldn’t tell his brother about a girl just because she’s cute. He is a man, but he is also not the type to do something like that.

“And I’m not going to pull a gun on you either. It’s not that I don’t have one, it’s just that I can tell you’re too smart to do anything dumb.”

Yongnam could only half appreciate her joke. He watched her turn and walk away from him before turning back after a couple of steps. “C’mon, let’s talk. Get properly introduced and all that.”

In reality Junko couldn’t care less about Yongnam being there, she was just happy to talk to someone who wasn’t in the same line of business as her. These types of thoughts were detrimental to her state of mind ; it led to her doubting herself and her responsibilities. And gave her a massive headache. Touching her forehead softly, Junko turned back around to face Yongnam who stared back startled.

“I’m sorry, but would you like to have a drink with me? I have some things on my mind that I could do with forgetting, at least for a little while.”

He cracked a smile that she found herself needing. “Coming on to me already? I’m flattered.” Yongnam waved his hand at her pained look. “All jokes aside, I’d love to. I have to say that I’m a bit surprised at how friendly you are. It’s not like what the movies taught me at all.” He followed her into the main building of the warehouse, looking at the barren space as they climbed a flight of stairs to a loft overlooking the main area.

Junko fished a couple bottles of Asahi Super Dry from a mini fridge in the corner and sat with Yongnam in a pair of plush chairs. “What did the movies teach you? That I’m supposed to be dragging you into a dark area of this place and interrogating you about knowing where I was? Chopping you into pieces and feeding you to pigs?” She handed him a bottle and took a long drink of her own. Yongnam understood where Yongguk had acquired his taste for the Japanese beer.

“I hope you know we’re not all like that. Gangsters, I mean, not women.” She laughed along with him and sat in silence for a while. “Go ahead, ask what’s on your mind.”

Yongnam stared at the bottle for a while before looking up. “I really don’t want to ruin this image I have of you now.”

“It’s going to be ruined one way or another, so let’s get it out of the way now.”

With that the two sat and talked, exchanging fleeting glances from across a small coffee table and words between a barrier of distrust. Slowly they found their unease melting away whether it be from the alcohol or banter.

Finally, in the early hours of the morning Yongnam moved to excuse himself, a little tipsy on his feet. Junko in the same state followed him down the stairs and back to the front of the open garage door.

“I look forward to seeing you again,” she confessed slowly, sending a quick text for a ride for Yongnam - any cab running this late into the night would be charging an arm and a leg to get to and from anywhere.

“Ditto,” Yongnam shot back a cheesy grin. He suddenly remembered the promise he had made to Yongguk and produced his mobile phone from within his jacket pocket.

Junko held up her own phone to interject. “I already made arrangements for a ride back home.”

Yongnam shook his head, maneuvering through apps until he found the one he was looking for. He reached out and coaxed Junko to stand next to him. She followed his lead as he held the device above their heads, the forward facing camera capturing both of them on the screen. “I told Yongguk I’d tell him if I got away safely.” With that he snapped a quick shot of the two of them smiling though Junko’s looked much more troubled than his own.

A black Escalade pulled up in front of them and the same large man that had picked up the other six boys stepped around the hood to open one of the back doors. Junko gave Yongnam another handshake and waved him off as the car pulled away.

From inside Yongnam watched her slide the garage door shut, staring at the building until it faded away from view and turned his attention back to his phone. Yongguk was still awake judging by the fact that he was still logged into Skype. Yongnam tapped his name and waited for Yongguk to accept the messaging invitation before sending the picture.

_Safe and sound, just like I promised._

Yongguk took a long moment to type his response before sending it off.

_Good._

_Junko talked about you a lot, you know. He knew this caught his brother off guard._

_About me? Why?_

He considered his words carefully. _She’s sad that you think badly of her. She knows why you do, but in her words ‘it’s painful to have someone so trusting and who thinks the best of people to see you as what’s wrong with the world.’_  

* * *

Yongguk stared at the message presented on the soft glow of the computer screen. He didn’t know what to say. All this time he had been associating Junko more and more by what she did than for the person she was. He didn’t even really know what she did, he could only assume. What Jongup had told him at the showcase repeated in his head.

‘Noona didn’t kill anyone, she took the fall for someone else.’

For years now he told himself to be as open minded as possible. He never judged the customs of a culture or their actions to a degree. Yongguk, who appreciated people in all walks of life and from all different eras, who understood why things in history happened and the changes that those actions caused. Que sera sera, as people said, whatever happens happens for a reason.

And yet here he was throwing her under the hypothetical bus for something he wasn’t sure if she actually did. Even when they saw each other in the hospital he could see how tired and troubled she was. Could there be a chance that she didn’t like what she was doing as much as he? The more Yongguk thought about it, the harder thinking actually became. He rested his head in his hands and massaged his temples. Another chime came from his computer and he raised his head to read the new message.

_You should try talking to her again, just in case. Really talking to her._

It wasn’t a bad idea, but a bad time. BAP had an event soon at a primary school that he had to prepare for.

_I’ll think about it. I have to go to bed, we can talk again soon. Goodnight._

_Night~_

Yongguk smiled at his twin’s carefree message. Those 12 minutes he had on Yongguk didn’t seem to have an effect on his maturity. Or it might have been the weight on his own shoulders that made him seem more cold. He shook the thought from his head before shutting everything off and heading to the collective bedroom. The room would’ve been silent if not for the soft squeaking of Jongup grinding his teeth.

Jongup. He thought of how selfish he had been this whole time ; Yongguk felt like his whole life was in tatters from having a run in with one supposed criminal when Jongup had been living with this reality his whole adolescence. He would have to properly apologize to the young dancer for not trusting him when he found the right moment.


	10. Making Good Relations, Okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the chapters I have written out so far, so sorry, but expect less frequent updates from here on out♡

_"And they say if we only avoid any direct confrontation with the enemy, he will forget his evil ways and learn to love us."_

\--Ronald Reagan

* * *

Yongguk stared apprehensively through the window of the taxi as Seoul cityscapes slowly turned into Incheon ports. The nearly hour long ride was nearing it’s end, and he found the closer they became the harder his heart began to pound. It was a ride he was familiar with seeing as it was the same drive he took in his trainee days to go see his family. He remembered how excited his mother would become when he talked about coming home, the shy woman’s voice sounding more youthful over the phone and even more so in person. Even his father would stand outside of their house in order to welcome his youngest son back home.

When the children got older, and Natasha and Yongnam moved out to Seoul on their own, the visits grew fewer and farther between until they only saw each other on Christian holidays and for ancestral rights. Yongguk would have to pay them a visit after finishing what he had set out to do.

Tomorrow BAP was having an event at an elementary school. The students had managed to donate the most gently used clothes and toys out of the other schools in their district and were being rewarded with a visit by the most charitable music group readily available. Because of this and Himchan’s injury, the company decided to give the boy’s a free day to go and do what they pleased in order to get everything together and rearrange their schedules around what the visual could manage physically.

Originally Yongguk had planned to stay at the dorm with his friend in order to make sure he didn’t overexert himself, but Youngjae had instead offered to stay with Himchan to catch the finale of a drama they enjoyed together. Daehyun, Jongup, and Junhong had gone out together to just enjoy being away and Jongup to help the non-native Seoulites become better acquainted with the smaller parts of the city. This left Yongguk with almost no other options but to take his brother’s advice from the previous night and go to meet Junko once again, no matter how much he felt he didn’t want to.

“We’re here.” The taxi driver’s voice pulled him from his musing, and with a shy thank you Yongguk moved to produce his wallet from his pants. Wordlessly the driver waved his hand in dismissal. Yongguk hoped he was not going to give him a free ride because he was an idol.

“Don’t worry about it,” the older man spoke softly, looking back to flash a warm smile. “Your dad is an old drinking buddy of mine who tips way too much. Now, if you want to pay for the ride back, I won’t fight you.”

Yongguk laughed shortly and handed the man a green 10,000 won bill regardless. It wasn’t enough for the normal fare, but would make a fine tip.

“Like father, like son,” the driver could only chuckle as Yongguk closed to cab door.

Taking a deep breath, Yongguk looked over the warehouse in front of him. It was eerily similar to the one where they had filmed in Manilla - he found himself glancing over both shoulders in case a large man with a steel pipe came rushing him from behind. With no such person in sight, he mustered up the courage to approach what he could only guess was the front entrance. There was an older style intercom to the right of the door sporting nothing but a single button and a simple metal speaker cover. Yongguk fought the urge to run away now before pressing the small button.

There was a pause before a familiar voice answered him from the other side of the system.

“May I help you?” There was no doubt it was a woman’s voice, but it sounded raspier than he remembered.

“Junko?” Yongguk asked cautiously. There was another long pause before he heard the door unlock.

Junko stood before him looking just as guarded but offering an attempt at a smile.

“Long time no see.” Her voice was just as raspy as before and her hair was still in a long braid over her shoulder leading Yongguk to believe that he had woken her up. It was earlier in the morning, him having left Seoul by eight, but just waking up now was very uncharacteristic of her. Yongguk shuddered at the thought of him knowing so much about her more intimate habits.

“Would you like to come in? I was just making coffee.” She stepped out of the door’s opening as an invitation that he had to accept, though he stepped just inside of the building so she could close the door. Seeing his trepidation, Junko moved past him and back to the faux kitchenette against the back wall she had passed before. The sound of footsteps following close behind let her know that Yongguk had accepted that he was there and had no choice but to follow.

She motioned towards a set of stairs near where she stood, not turning away from the coffee pot. “You can go up there, there are chairs and a table so we can talk.” His footsteps sounded again, but this time moving up and away. Junko set the finished coffee set on a small tray along with fruit she had in the mini fridge below the beer. Yongguk moved to help her with the tray once she reached the top of the stairs, but she merely shook her head and carried the tray to the coffee table between chairs.

“You and your brother have a habit of showing up at odd hours.” She filled the two mugs she had brought and offered one to him who accepted with a small bow. Yongguk, however, did not reply, something that did not surprise Junko too much.”To what do I owe this surprise visit?”

Yongguk looked down at his reflection in the dark coffee filling half of the mug. He thought for a moment before setting the cup down and looking up at Junko. “I wanted to apologize. About what I said at the hospital.”

“Don’t.” Junko pulled her legs to her chest and rest her mug on top of her knee. Unlike Yongguk, she did not attempt to make eye contact. “I appreciate it, but you don’t have anything to be sorry about. Still, you have a lot of guts to say sorry to someone who does nothing but wrong.”

“But you’re still a woman and a human being, so I shouldn’t have said something like I did.”

She chuckled lowly, looking nowhere in particular. “Thank you for the flattery, but I think that might be an insult to the human race.”

Yongguk scoffed at her pessimism. He didn’t know why it suddenly bothered him so much when in the heat of the hospital moment he had been thinking almost the same thing. But seeing her now in such an unsullied state, he started to think that there existed two different Junko’s. He held his mug in the air between them, finally pulling her attention to him.

“I doubt that someone who would serve me coffee in a Pokemon mug is the scum of society.”

There was some truth in what Yongguk said, even if the proof was the purple grinning face of a Koffing with ‘KOFFEE’ written beneath it. She looked at her own cup, an orange Seaking face with ‘TEAKING’ written along the bottom.

“You know, Team Rocket uses Koffings. They’re a bad Pokemon, poison type too.” Junko heard him sigh aggravatedly across the small space no matter how much he tried to muffle it. “So what you’re saying is that my love for a children’s series means I’m an innocent, loving, law-abiding citizen of the fine nation of Korea?”

Yongguk didn’t respond, just sipped his coffee to make up for the awkward silence.

She took it as a cue to continue. “But I can see where you’re coming from. And I really appreciate you coming over to speak to me. I’m sorry I couldn’t live up to the amicable front I put up, and that that front isn’t the same as who I really am. I shouldn’t have tricked you, or given you all this stress you didn’t need. I should have stayed out of your life.” Junko’s foot slipped on the pleather seat, stalling the flow of her unintentional verbal diarrhea. “But I guess that’s just what I do. Lie to make a living.”

“At least you’re not cutting me up and feeding me to pigs.” Yongguk flashes a wry smile as Junko laughs, nearly spilling her coffee on her loose shirt.

She jabs a finger in his direction. “So Yongnam told you everything? Figures. Fuckin’ twins.”

“You’re black.” This brought another bout of giggles and Yongguk inwardly appreciated the fact she understood the underlying ‘pot meet kettle’ joke. “Well, I can’t exactly trust my brother to a dangerous stranger.”

“A murderer.”

His face fell quickly. “I never said that.”

Junko waggled that previously pointed finger. “I know you know. Why else would you act so apprehensive? Besides, you’re smart, people like you do research. And Jonguppie isn’t exactly the type that can handle confrontation. A little bit of pressure from someone he respects and he’ll crack.”

Yongguk didn’t deny anything because he didn’t see the need to lie about something they both know - there had been enough lying between them. “He told me that it wasn’t you. That you took the fall for a man with a newborn.”

“And that’s why you think I’m a good person now? Because I wanted a child to have a good life with both parents?” She shrugged and flopped her cramped legs over the armrest. “I like kids, and it was an honor killing. I don’t see it as something illegal, but coming from me I guess that doesn’t mean anything.” Junko polished off the rest of her coffee and offered Yongguk more who quickly refused - he had drank at least four cups working up the courage to come see her.

She went on. “As surprising as it sounds. I want children. I do, but I don’t think I’ll have any.”

“Why’s that?” Yongguk asked, question punctuated with a quirked brow.

Finally eye contact was made after what seemed like years. “I like kids, that’s why. I don’t want to punish them with a terrible, violent mother. Thankfully I’ll probably be dead before I can even dream about finding a man.”

Heart throbbing, Yongguk felt his blood run cold. The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. Cynically thinking, footmen could be replaced. There wasn’t a shortage of foolish young men who wanted to show they were ‘hard’ by being part of a gang, living the life of a criminal to show they were independent even of life’s rules. Even the higher ups could be replaced with time. But a leader is something you have to work for. Sweat, tears, and what he can only guess a copious amount of blood got you there, as well as being diplomatic, yet unrelenting.

But that also meant you were the most desired target, the one that, once killed, got you the real street cred.

“Then why do it?” Yongguk surprised himself with his own outburst. “Why live like that with the fear of dying without being able to really live?”

“The fact of death is what what makes living so dear and precious to us.” Junko smirked, not making a move to look at him but unravelling her braid as an excuse not to. “Because I feel that I’m helping someone else to live their life without fear. Here me out,” she quipped suspecting Yongguk would make another sarcastic noise. “Funny as it sounds, this area used to be a lot worse. Zero Line is, in the timeline of Korea’s underground, still in it’s infancy. I’m only the second leader they’ve ever had, Changkil being the first. Like him, I like to think I’m kind. When I said I was collecting money from the hospital, I wasn’t lying - it’s just another part of the job, though that wasn’t my territory. I collect money from businesses and families in Incheon, but I never do it through threats. I’m not a loan shark, and I don’t steal.

“At the same time, it’s exactly what you think it is : protection racket and loans. We get a share and in return we tell others to keep away, that we’ll know who they are and we _will_ punish them. Flash a little tattoo and people really don’t want to mess with you. Or if they need money to get themselves off the ground or keep themselves afloat, we’ll help when the banks turn their backs. I believe that everyone deserves a chance, and I want to give them that. I mean, I don’t want to brag, but the standard of living around here has really gone up. Like, seriously.”

Hair out, she gave it a little shake that sent wavy strands everywhere. “Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, but it just feels like people trust you more when you flash a smile and not a pistol.”

Yongguk still wasn’t convinced. The money had to have come from somewhere in the first place, and you can’t just take money from people saying you are going to keep them safe. This wasn’t a security company. He didn’t feel like arguing, though.

“Then what are you?” The question left his mouth before he had time to think about it - it was probably the question his inner being wanted answered the most but knowing would make the situation all too real.

Junko tossed him a questioning look from across the space. She stared into his eyes, searching for what he could mean, then looked back into her empty mug when she felt she had an understanding. “I guess you could say . . . A mix. Between the Triads and the Geondal.” Knowing he had no idea what she was talking about, Junko began to expand on the statement.

“As you know, most of what Korea is today is basically an evolution from everything Chinese. Well the same goes for The House. It began as a branch of the mainland Chinese triads called Hóng Huìxīng. It wasn’t as big as 14K or Wo Shing Wo, but it was there and could not be ignored. Focussing mainly on prostitution and extortion, Hóng Huìxīng quickly branched out into Vietnam, Malaysia, and Korea, changing their focus to human trafficking and smuggling.

“Around ‘68 there was a great war between rivalling gangs in Korea, around the time the Tet Offensive was launched. Hóng Huìxīng was smuggling weapons to the Việt Minh as many of the Vietnamese factions were fighting for the North during the war. Being so spread out and focussing so much of their energy on the profit being made in Vietnam, they really did not stand a chance in the fight and were eventually absorbed into the Singsangsapa. From there it’s really just geondal history until 1975 when Singsangsapa’s New Year party was - for lack of a better word - crashed by Beonhonampa and dissolved.

“With the developments under the Park Chung Hee’s administration, many different gangs rose in Korea as I’m sure you know. In 1977 The House was officially formed by surviving Singsangsapa and Hóng Huìxīng members, gaining influence from both styles of gangs until what we have now was formed - kkangpae following the structure of triads with a little bit of their own personality mixed in. Kind of like the Dollars.”

Junko laughed inwardly at Yongguk’s slow nods, proud of herself for getting him to believe an anime reference as part of official history. When she would tell him she didn’t know, but it would sure be an event.

Outside the sounds of daily life were starting to grow. Fishermen called out every once in awhile about the deals they were advertising and which fish were the freshest. The subtle sound of a child begging their mother to buy them something rang out, it being the weekend and most children enjoying a day without studies and school. In the distance a church bell rang, signalling the start of mass.

It had been a while since Yongguk had been to church. Between practice, performances, and everything else an idol had on their plate, there was not much room left to practice faith. He would just have to settle with frequent prayer.

“Why are you comfortable telling me all of that?”

Junko, nibbling on a strawberry, shrugged her shoulders in an exaggerated manner. “Who are you going to tell? The police? They already know all about me. I have as many past charges as you have awards. My Captain at Camp Humphreys wouldn’t care since I’m not in the army anymore, and I doubt that your bandmates don’t already know about me, let alone your family. I just don’t really have anything to worry about.” She held up the bowl of strawberries and jostled it until he took one.

“Really, I guess it’s just because I like you. You’re very welcoming.” She flashed him a teasing smile that Yongguk didn’t know if he should return. Enough doubt, he thought, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away. This pulled a soft laugh from Junko. “Why don’t we talk about something else if you’re done with your notes? Any new songs in the works?”

Suddenly feeling as though he were in another interview, Yongguk straightened slightly and looked up with a subtle gleam of pride in his eyes. Junko raised her eyebrows in amusement, lips wrapped around another strawberry.

“I never really stop writing, though recently Jongup and I were talking about a couple of ideas he’s had. He’s really shown an interest in lyric writing since we’ve debuted.”

From across the table Junko nodded, a look of pride in her own eyes. It was amusing to see, really, this woman who had so many things under her belt and so many things to worry about be so innocently happy when her brothers were mentioned. Even if the age gap was so small, she always had a sense of motherly duty when it came to the younger ones, following their mother so dutifully in hopes of learning anything she could that would help qualm this ever-present desire to take care of those around her. Lunches, helping with homework, praising them when they did something good. Despite coming to terms with the idea she should not have kids, Junko was sure she was born to be a nurturer, accepting this reality as the grand punishment for the life she had chosen to lead.

The two spoke on about B.A.P, what he hoped for their future as well as Junko asking about the more intimate secrets of being an idol and an international icon.

“Isn’t it weird having so many girls doing things like waiting for you at the aeroport, worshipping pictures of you, and saying naughty things towards you online?”

Twisting his lips Yongguk hummed while thinking of a response. “It was really strange at first, but having so many people pay attention to you suddenly is also a bit strange. I appreciate all of our fans and their quirks, though. They’re so talented and nice.”

“But it’s like having thousands of people flirting with you all at once. Isn’t that weird?”

“It’s kind of flattering in a unique way. Not like you would know what it feels like, right?” He tossed her a sly smirk, hoping the sharp comment would be taken like the joke it was meant to be.

Junko tossed a similar look over her shoulder having been putting the bowl of remaining strawberries back in the mini fridge. “Son, have you seen me? I am beautiful, an angel of purity and grace.” She did a little twirl, long strands of hair curling around her waist before collapsing with a too loud laugh at the action. Yongguk looked down with a similar action, giggling embarrassedly at the show in front of him.

Slowly he rose to his feet, stretching a bit after sitting for nearly four hours. The time was just past noon and he needed to get back to the studio for last minute rehearsals. Sensing he was looking for a way to break the ice, Junko offered her hand to him for a farewell handshake.

“Thank you for coming to see me. It was nice to be able to talk again. I would tell you not to be a stranger, but . . .” she let the sentence hang.

Yongguk took the chance to look around as she escorted him to the door. Despite having as much money as she claimed, the warehouse wasn’t as spectacular as he expected it to be. Sure, it was a warehouse of all things, but it was mostly barren. Two cars sat near the far wall, one covered by a tarp while the other one, quite expensive looking, had the hood open which led him to believe it was out of commision. Behind them was a single large toolbox.

Even the landing they had been sitting on had just a cheap couch, two seats, and a coffee table found in any discount furniture shop. He wondered if living humbly was just a show she was putting on, or a deterrent if the warehouse was ever raided by police. Or maybe, just maybe, she was content with the ‘mission’ she claimed to have for the area and didn’t have any desires for wealth. Knowing Junko, it was the latter.

Farewells exchanged, Yongguk walked the few feet down the street to a shaded bench, pulling a ball cap over his head to hide his identity from anyone who might recognize him. Behind him a group of children played on a playscape, laughing and calling out amongst each other. He listened to them with a small smile on his face, leaning his head back to enjoy the clear sky above. It was really a beautiful day.

A honk drew him out of his reverie - a cab sat pulled up to the sidewalk in front of him. Yongguk hopped up and entered the door open for him by the same driver who had driven him here from Seoul.

“I take it you had a good time?” The older man asked once he had pulled back onto the street.

Yongguk, casting a glance at the warehouse as they passed it, grinned shortly. “Something like that.”

“Ah, so you visited that place, huh?”

This drew his attention to the driver. “You know about that place?”

The older man cast a glance at him from the rear view mirror. “Yes, I know all about it. We might not seem like it, but us old folks do pay attention.” Yongguk waved his hands in defence but the old man just laughed. “Everyone in this area knows about Miss Moon, she is a very popular young girl. She helped my business stay afloat and keep my friends and I able to feed our families, even helped me send my youngest one to university. This area owes her a lot. Funny isn’t it? Kkangpae helping little folks like us?”

From the back he just hummed, catching the shrinking reflection of the warehouse in the side mirror. Just before it faded from view, Yongguk caught the image of Junko exiting the building, slipping something silver underneath her blazer near her ribs. Something he knew had to be a gun.

“My grand-daughter prays for her every night. Thanks God she isn’t afraid of walking to school anymore, says she wants to be a police officer like eonnie. If only she knew, huh?” A small sigh escaped the driver and he shook his head.

Yeah, Yongguk thought, if only she knew.


	11. microcrack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short, I had to split the chapter because it would be HUGE if I didn't.

_"Fear is the pain arising from the anticipation of evil."_

\--Aristotle

* * *

Moon Junko was beyond furious.

“I don’t fucking care, Hyunbin, you can’t do something like this in the middle of the day!” She howled at the tall man in front of her who stared back shocked. “What happened to secrecy? You know, hiding in the shadows, keeping the fucking public out of what we do?” Her arms moved wildly, enraged gesticulations forcing him to keep his distance. Wrenches were thrown across the garage as Junko continued her fit.

Hyunbin sighed deeply and backed up towards the open garage door. “I’m sorry, Little Dragon, but there’s nothing I can do. It’s our order.”

The woman whipped back to his direction. “Stop. Calling. Me. That.” She hissed at him between her teeth. “I have no problem with a race. I already have the Blue Lanterns out spreading the word about it. But I swear to God that if we continue with it the way it is, me and my men will _not_ be there.”

She wasn’t lying. Nothing got Junko’s blood flowing like a good race, the shifting gears and roaring engine sending chills through her body like nothing else could. But their races had always taken place in a controlled environment, and more importantly at night. For a reason unknown to her the Thousand Year House leader had decided to host this race just before noon, when the streets of Seoul were that much busier. 

“I mean for Christ’s sake, what if someone gets killed? An innocent fucking person.” She shuddered at the thought and collapsed on the workbench stool that had nearly become the next object of her fury. She held her head and tried to slow her ragged breath. “I don’t know what in the fuck got into that old bastard.”

Approaching her slowly, Hyunbin reached out and pushed her drooped head into his stomach. All at once Junko collapsed into him. Hot puffs of breath brushed over his skin through his shirt, and if not for the fact that it stayed dry he would have guessed that she was crying. He hated to see her like this.

He had been part of The House when Junko was still in middle school, and he could still remember when she first appeared before him on the roof of the parking garage after her first race. Young and full of what used to be ambition, his first thought of her had been sour. She doesn’t belong here, he repeated the silent mantra to himself for days. She was too young, too naive, too hopeful and caring. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Hyunbin expected to see her dead by the end of the month.

But Changkil had seen something in her that he said reminded him of himself - at least, this is what the past leader had told him. Hyunbin had just assumed he took her in because her birth year ended in a zero. Sure, in fights she had been able to hold her own for long enough, and she worked hard beside them all to raise herself up from Blue Lantern to Deputy Mountain Master. Even if he wasn’t part of Zero Line itself, he was part of all of her promotion ceremonies.

The day he heard of Zero Line’s partial collapse he had felt a dread the man had never experienced before. Wooram came to him with the rest of Zero Line and spilled it all ; Changkil was dead, victim of a mercy killing by another member after a long battle with a rival Yakuza faction. From what he heard that member was a new father, and if he had been arrested there was no doubt he’d never be able to see his family again. So Junko took the charge for him.

She had no prior record, a clean slate and a perfect decoy. She forced the man to leave and stayed at the scene, acting the aggressor and being put away for five years. 

The action did nothing but confirm his thoughts that she was not cut out for this life.

And now staring down at the crumpled girl in front of him, he could think no different. Hyunbin didn’t want to admit why his heart ached seeing her so distraught but deep down he knew the reason. He ran his hand over her hair.

Junko turned her head to the side so she could talk, finally feeling calm but not moving. “I’m sorry. I just . . I don’t want to see someone hurt because something that I do. Pretty stupid, huh?” She attempted a laugh but nothing came out. “I’ve done nothing but hurt everyone around me. I’m sure I’m giving you a headache now too. And Changkil-ssi must be rolling around in his grave right now. “

Finally she pushed away, standing on wobbly legs to put some distance between the two of them.

“Junko, I don't like it as much as you do, but there is nothing we can do about it. Any order from the Head is an order we have to take unless we want to be killed. Besides, why should you care about the public? They do nothing for us.” Hyunbin didn’t want to be hard on her, but this was the only thing he could think to do.

She whipped around to look at him, a ferocious look in her eyes. “Don’t do anything for us? Do you need some kind of reward to treat people well? I mean Jesus Christ, you’re 30 years old, why are you still thinking like a teenager? Did you forget you used to be a regular person? A part of that society you seem to hate so much and have no problem throwing away?!”

Junko closed the distance between herself and Hyunbin, grabbing the front of his red shirt tightly and yanking him down to her height. “If you kill someone that could mean nothing to you, but to someone else, you could destroy their whole world! Why do you never think about other people?”

“Why do you?” He barked back, slapping her hand away violently. “Why do you care so much about those people? You don’t even know them! And yet you act so soft, caring about every person you come across! Newsflash, Junko, you’re a fucking criminal! The worst of the fucking worst! And yet you still try to act like a goody-two-shoes.” He brushed a hand through his hair aggravated and stalked away towards the open garage door. “Try and grow some balls by tomorrow, Dragon King.” With that he left, speeding off him a shriek of rubber on pavement.

Alone with herself, Junko wandered back to the landing she had sat with Yongguk earlier in the day. She thought about how disappointed he would be if he found out about what was going to happen. Why does that matter? She thought, shifting onto her side.

The two cups they had drank from still sat on the table. She thought back to their conversation, how easy it had been to talk with him, even about the difficult things. He had judged her, sure, but he had every right to do so. But why did it hurt so much to think about? Hyunbin had not been lying, she was a criminal, a gang member, a gang _leader_. People talked foully about her day in and day out, from dawn till dusk, to her face and behind her back. Yet none of that really had an effect in her until someone her youngest brother happened to know had a problem with what she did.

Now all of a sudden there was a vice around her heart and a bottomless pit seemed to open in her stomach. Junko’s bottom lip quivered when she thought about it. What was this feeling? Remorse? Disappointment? She felt like marching into a hospital to see if she could get her heart replaced with that of a serial killer’s - then she wouldn’t have to worry about all these emotions plaguing her every time Bang Yongguk crossed her mind.

Her phone buzzed softly in her breast pocket, the soft beat of Rain Sound playing through the speaker, Jongup’s few lines flowing through her mind. Junko answered it quickly.

“Mother, you’re needed at the office,” Wooram requested shortly. She hummed in response before hanging up and sliding back onto her feet.

Jongup. He had to be disappointed in her too, more so than Yongguk. But the thought did not upset her nearly as much. Maybe it was because Jongup had been disappointed in her for so long that it didn’t hurt as much.

Junko knew this wasn’t true, but it sounded good enough for the time being.

“We have a lot of people planning to show for the race tomorrow, and the route has been already planned out. Word is that some Chil Sung Pa will be scouting the area, and of course some Ssang Yong Pa.”

Junko nodded to the young man standing before her desk as he traced his finger along different points on the paper resting on the desk. He was a Blue Lantern and probably not much younger than she, a small dragon tattoo tracing his right eyebrow telling her he was at least 18.

“Good. Be sure to watch out for the Ssang Yong Pa, they always try to start some sort of trouble with us,” she mused from her plush seat. “They can’t stand to share the dragon with the other boys and girls.”

Junko could see the young man’s shoulders shake in silent laughter. She shifted the paper to the side and threaded her fingers together atop the desk.

“Please tell Seyeon to deliver the reports from the game rooms and karaokes by the time I’m back. We should change the IP’s for the gambling sites about now as well. One of you Blue Lanterns can take care of that, you young kids are good with technology. Report to Munhee for details about the security contract we have with the Killer Whale’s assistant coach - it may be your time to switch with one of the other boys. Be careful out there.”

“Yes, Mother.”

She leaned up and rested a thankful hand on his shoulder with curt nod, dismissing the young man. He closed the door without a sound, drawing a short chuckle from her.

I’m glad I stayed away from a desk job, Junko mused internally glancing at the short stack of papers on the far left side of her desk. Leading a gang wasn’t all glamour and representation ; when the weather began to warm up, people became looser with their money. Outdoor sports starting back up meant the illegal betting sites they ran opened back up and the luck of others was the easiest way to make money.

The season of giving and adoring couples was now over, and men were beginning to look for the affection their significant others didn’t care to give anymore. Karaokes that doubled as brothels and kissing rooms were bound to get busy, and there was no shortage of college girls looking for extra money or girls just too promiscuous for their own good. Christmas bonuses were well spent and game rooms started looking more and more appealing to the salary workers headed home after a long day of kissing their boss’ ass in hopes of change being thrown their way.

But as appealing as the surge of cash sounded, it brought with it a surge of another kind : paperwork. Being the head meant she was the one who had to mull over everything. Seyeon, Zero Line’s White Paper Fan, was technically the one to organize and monitor all the activity, but the bottom lines was Junko’s word was law. And that also meant all the paperwork landed on her desk and her desk alone.

Wooram entered without knocking at the same time Junko stood from her seat, sauntering over to the wide window behind the desk. He watched her stare out the window for a moment, knowing she was watching the people walking on the sidewalks below.

“Hyunbin was here earlier,” he murmured taking a seat in front of the desk.

Junko glanced over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the view, this time zeroing in on the cars stalled in traffic. “Did he tell you about my hissy fit?”

“What else was there to talk about?”

Turning back, Junko placed her hands on the cold wooden desk and hung her head. “A girl can’t show some emotion once in awhile?”

Wooram just shook his head. “I’m not really in a position to chastise you, am I? Kids aren’t supposed to talk back to their moms.”

She chuckled darkly, moving away from the desk before plopping onto the cheap settee catty corner to the desk. “At least you’re a good boy. Now be a real good boy and let Momma sleep, yeah? I have a lot to think about.”

“It’s not even 22:00.”

“Hey, having to deal with you brats all day? I need as much relaxation as I can get.” Junko tossed Wooram a playful smile from her position on the couch ; he just chuckled and took his leave, excusing everyone still in the office for the day.

As much as she tried to sleep, Junko could not stop her heart from hammering. She fished her cell phone out of her breast pocket and logged into Skype, tapping on one of the only three names in her contact list. Why he didn’t just call or text was beyond her, but Junko didn’t see fit to argue.

_My Uppie, did you finish practice?_

Jongup’s reply came moments later. _Yepp. We have an event tomorrow, so I had to take sure all the hyeongs remembered our choreography._

_Don’t go killing Himchan-ssi, now. I’m sure that would be back for your ratings._

He replied with a multitude of laughing emojis, even a humorously edited photo of himself lying in his bunk which Junko was not ashamed to say she saved.

_You know I love you, right, Jongup?_

_Of course. I love you too, noona. Always._

She smiled fondly at his reply and laid the AMOLED screen against her forehead for a moment, thinking if it would be a good idea to pour her soul out to him in an attempt to make herself feel better. She settled with a kissing emoji and a loving goodnight, getting a grossed out face in return before Jongup logged off.

Only one name had the green active marker next to it anymore. Junko hovered her finger over it, contemplating if she should start that conversation. Instead she tossed the phone onto the floor - the swarm in her stomach making it feel impossible to talk to Yongguk again.


	12. Drowsy, Bloody, Crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got sappy at the end of this, HAHA. I'm trying to be realistic, so that means the story and romance will be advancing slowly, so sorry for that!

_"In the real city you… you walk. You know? You brush past people. People bump into you. In L.A. nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much that we crash into each other just so we can feel something."_

\--Graham Walters, Crash (2005)

* * *

Hundreds of tiny cries filled the air. Little arms waved ecstatically and names were thrown around so quickly that no particular one was distinguishable from the others. Behind the curtain of the quickly constructed stage Yongguk smiled to himself and cast a glance at Himchan to his right. It was the first activity he was able to participate in after his minor accident. His arm was in a sling and a constant pout seemed to be ever present on his face, but the magic of children had brought a smirk to the visual’s face that the leader hadn’t seen for a while.

“Everyone, please sit lineup. When you do, the BAP oppas will be able to come out!” One of the teachers announced in a cheery voice. The children quieted down a bit, but being so young the concept of quieting down was still a bit foreign.

The stage hand a few feet away peeked out from behind the curtain once before turning and giving the group of six boys a thumbs up. They exited in order of age, all smiles and waives as the children once again erupted in cheers and excitement. Behind them their parents and siblings chuckled, snapping a few pictures and waiving a few fan signs of their own.

Yongguk took the microphone offered to him by the blushing teacher and gave her a quick bow before checking if the rest of the boys were lined up. “2, 3. Hello, we are BAP, yes sir! It’s nice to meet you.” The singers clapped and waited for the children to quiet down once more - Yongguk took this time to prepare a confident tone.

“Thanks to everyone at Incheon Cheongra Elementary School, many children have new clothes to wear and toys to play with. Without your help they would not be able to have these things, and for your generosity we want to thank you all very much.” All six men gave a deep bow to the children before them and gave them a round of applause for the selfless act they had taken upon themselves.

While the children were corralled into a proper line once more, a second stage hand led the group to a long table for autographs and meeting. A group had begun to gather behind the ropes arking off the event, buzzing with as much excitement as the students. Daehyun gave the onlookers a large wave, garnering even more outcries.

With time a steady flow of children was established, soe bringing up multiple albums and posters that obviously belong to other members of their family. To the boys, this was not a problem - their income being so heavily restricted by their contract to TS Entertainment was a huge blow to Yongguk’s wish of donating to multiple charities. Signing a couple of extra items was no cost at all in exchange for the sheer amount of effort the school put into their sizable donation.

Further down the table he could hear Youngjae speaking enthusiastically to a young boy who shared his desire to be an idol. Junhong was thanking a little boy for the Dooly plush that was presented to him, and Himchan jerked slightly when Jongup tried to dot his cast with his permanent marker.

Above them clouds rolled lazily across the crisp blue sky, pushed along by a soft breeze that tickled Yongguk’s ears.

“Oppa,” a soft voice in front of him pulled his attention back to the event. A little girl with big eyes and black hair just reaching her waist stood shyly, hugging a Shishimato plush close to her chest.

“Ah, hello,” Yongguk chirped softly and reached out to pat her hand. The girl, who introduced herself as Jiseo, giggled shortly before holding the doll out. He took it gingerly and uncapped the silver marker sitting next to his hand.

“Yongguk oppa is my favourite,” she confessed quietly. Jiseo’s skirt twirled as she twisted her body side to side, looking away to hide her smile when Yongguk looked up at her from the doll in his hands.

“Really? Well Jiseo is my favourite too.”

She hid her face and giggled loudly, turning to make sure her mother was still standing in the back of the crown for support.

Yongguk held the now signed doll up to her, humming and waiving it slightly. “Thank you for giving other boys and girls toys to play with, Jiseo-ah.”

Jiseo didn’t say anything and moved onto Daehyun beside him. “Daehyun oppa is my favourite.”

Yongguk could only laugh to himself at the little girl’s cheeky comment.

For a few hours more the event continued on like this. The children calmed down quickly when in front of the idols out of pure shyness. It was one thing to see your favourite singer on television and the internet, but being in front of them was something completely different. It was nothing new to the boys, but to these children it must have meant the world. Knowing that made all the difference to an idol.

“Alright,” the principal took the microphone in his hands, holding a hand up to signal the students to calm down. “Everyone please say thank you to BAP for coming to visit us today.”

Again the crowd erupted into cheers and cries of their names.The boys stood up from the table and dropped into another bow.

The principal waited for a moment before holding the mic up again. “As a surprise, BAP has agreed to perform one song for all of you because of how generous you were! I want to say thank you to all of my students for setting such a good example for the other students of Incheon and students for all of Korea!”

Clearing away the table, the boys took position on the stage. The upbeat rhythm of Crash burst from the speakers and all at once the performance took off. To accommodate Himchan’s injury and the age range of the audience, the boys had decided on a lighter song versus the heavy meaning of One Shot or the hip thrusts of No Mercy.

Sucked into the atmosphere of performing, Yongguk’s body seemed to move on it's own. He couldn’t really remember when this had started - he had been a bit clumsy during their first performance, though the stage breaking during the stomping part of their choreography didn’t exactly help. His nerves would try to get the best of him, but he wanted to be the proper leader he promised the others he would be, and this resolve brought a new level of focus he appreciated more than he would admit. Before he even knew it, his damp left hand was entwined with Himchan’s, their temples pressed together as they smiled out to the audience of youngsters cheering emphatically.

All six artists panted happily before the sound of screeching metal and rubber filled the air. Was the stage collapsing? The thought ran through nearly everyone’s mind at least once. Heads jerked in every which way direction before the source could be located ; it wasn’t very far away, just around the corner and down the street.

A full minute hadn’t passed before people leapt to their feet, natural human curiosity propelling them away from the event and towards the ruckus. Even the six performers found themselves pulled into the flow of the crowd and towards the wispy pillar of smoke slowly blotting out part of the perfect sky.

In the middle of the road a sleek black car lay on it’s top amidst a sea of broken glass and bits of the vehicle’s body. The car was a mangled wreck, curved around a massive dent in the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Behind it sat a white car just as exotic as the wrecked one, it’s entire front end dented in some way, and behind them even more sightly vehicles with no damage done. The whole scene looked more like a car show than an accident.

Gasps permeated the air, everyone wondering what had happened to cause the accident and more urging their friends to call 119 as they snapped pictures and video.

Yongguk, on the other hand, felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. “I know that car.”

* * *

That’s not the sky.

That was the first thought that ran though Junko’s mind. For a moment she didn’t know where she was or how she had gotten to where ever it was she happened to be. All she could see was her hair, glass, and pavement where the sky used to be.

She traced back into her fuzzy mind for any information that could help her figure out what exactly was going on.

Today was the day of the big race to introduce Terumoto to Thousand Year House. Junko had protested it with every fiber in her being, but the race continued on anyway. They had arrived to the starting location and had been given a GPS pre programmed with the route that had been determined.

“It’s a low traffic area,” her leader had reassured her. “Even if their is anyone there, they’ll be easy to avoid.” The conversation - if it could be called that - ended there. His tone made it very clear that if she did not show, there would be heavy consequences. Thus, she had arrived in a foul mood and even more determination to win.

High ranking members of Ssang Yong Ppa were waiting for her at the mouth of the intersection that acted as the starting line. “Moon,” a particularly large man sneered. His appearance garnered him the name Sphinx, all of his hair had been removed down to the eyebrows with what was rumored to be laser hair removal.

Junko didn’t care to cast him a glance. “Don’t fucking talk to me, kitty cat, I’m really not in the mood.” She raised her middle finger to him, slowly raising her hand as she rolled the window of her Fairlady up. “When you can take this Dragon King title from me, then you can speak.” It didn’t matter that he couldn’t hear her, just being nasty to someone made her feel better. His shouting was drowned out by the rumble of her engine while she waited for the event to start.

Casting a glance to the right she caught Terumoto’s gaze. He stared through her, the grin on his face sending cold shivers through her whole being. A sick feeling began to settle in the pit of her stomach. It had been there before, but something about the way he looked at her agitated it. All at once she felt like a child ; she wanted to whip her car around and run home, even drive all the way down to Seoul just to hide in her father’s arms like she used to in grade school.

No, Junko, just race and get it over with. She repeated this mantra until the GPS started beeping. The countdown on the screen started at five, all at once accompanied by the roar of six other vehicles revving their engines. Milliseconds before the word go appeared on the screen Junko smashed the accelerator.

Everyone followed suit, flying down the road at dangerous speeds. Hyunbin overtook her on the straight away, but the parking pawl he had installed on the vehicle years before gave her the upperhand on the curve. To her relief there were no other cars on the road in front of them. All at once her apprehension lifted, focus switching to making sure she stayed in the lead. She had only lost a race twice and she wasn’t too keen to make this her third.

Every few seconds she cast a glance at the GPS to ensure she was following the track. Incheon was her territory, but she had never been too good at remembering all the different little roads in the city. They were to stay close to the coast and through alleys.  The small spaces practically secured her first place position. Sure, everyone was competitive and eager to please their leader, but risking a multi million won car was not worth first place.

It wasn’t until the route suddenly changed that she became suspicious. Instead of staying near the coast the course took a sharp right and headed into the city. Junko knew this was not the same map that had been displayed before, but when everyone began to anticipate the turn she felt as though she could do nothing but follow suit. She assumed her mood had made her read the map incorrectly just because of the pure anger that had afflicted her before.

Seeing the sudden swarm of cars in front of her let her knew this was incorrect. Out of shock she slammed on the brakes, Hyunbin and Ilha zooming past her.

“No, no, no,” she hissed, forcefully shifting gears and taking off again before she came to a complete stop. The Fairlady groaned in protest of the abuse, but Junko paid no mind, forcing her way between the two men in front of her. Ilha honked angrily when she all but forced him off of the road. In the rearview she saw Terumoto quickly overtake him.

It struck her as odd that he always stayed behind her despite being in such a street ready vehicle, but that thought was quickly pushed from her mind when she inched past Hyunbin. The map led them deeper into the city, her eyes darting between cars, pedestrians, and street signs. This couldn’t be right, she was positive the race was supposed to pass _behind_ her warehouse right before the finish. Now they were nearly 10 miles away and making no sign of heading back.

Thankfully, the end was now in sight, the blue arrow blinking just a bend away. Before that, though, sat a school. She recognized the name instantly. It sent her into hysterics.

The road ahead of her was clear and behind her Terumoto was just 15 feet away. Just a ways away music vibrated the ground they were on. Without a second thought, Junko stomped on her brakes and ripped the steering wheel to the right.

She watched the accident happen in slow motion. Terumoto was on her in a second - the slim body of his white Aventador was just low enough to wedge underneath her Fairlady. Glass burst through the cab as her body was pitched harshly to the left, then whipped to the right at concussive speeds. Ungodly screeching of metal on metal mingled with the crunching of the Fairlady’s carbon body.

A feeling of weightlessness took her over as her car was thrown off of Terumoto’s. The inertia of the impact carried it over 15 feet away before it landed on the pavement with a sickening crack and skid even farther down the roadway. Junko thanked the roll cage she had installed months after she had won the car ; Taking the whole vehicle apart had been a pain, but she had it to thank now that it had saved her life. She opened her eyes once the grinding of her roof against pavement stopped, said pavement now staring back at her where the sky had once been.

Junko had a moment to catch her breath before pain slammed into her all at once, ripping said breath from her lungs. Looking up - or rather, down - she could see her arms hanging limply above her head. A steady trickle of blood made it’s way down her pale skin and dotted the sea of glass that had settled on the grey fabric roof. A strangled cry shook her body as she raised her arms and grasped at the seatbelts that inverted her.

Amidst the crash she retained the thought to pull her feet away from the pedals as not to break her ankles and tangle her feet around the accelerator or each other. Aside from the scratches and aching all over her body, there was no discernable damage done.

“Jesus, Buddha, whoever is up there, please don’t let me break my neck.” Junko offered a silent prayer before releasing the seatbelt. Pain blossomed in her back as she landed on the shards of glass. It brought forth another stream of cries and curses which continued as she turned onto her stomach and dragged herself from the crumpled vehicle and onto the sun heated pavement.

Hyunbin was at her side in a flash, supporting her as she pulled herself onto wobbly legs. He tossed her left arm haphazardly around his shoulder, earning him a loud growl and a punch to the ribs that only served to push glass deeper into Junko’s knuckles.

“Why the fuck did you do that, Junko?” The opposing gang leader demanded, stumbling as Junko tried to find her footing and make her way towards his car.

She let out a strangled laugh and attempted to blow the hair away from her face. “Look behind you.”

Quickly, Hyunbin tossed a glance over his shoulder. A sea of wide eyed children stared back at them, adults in their midst snapping photos and video. Just behind them sat a street sign - there was a school not too far away, no doubt where these children had come from. In the very back of the crowd he recognized a handful of faces. He scoffed as he turned back to his wounded comrade.

“A bunch of idols? Typical for a goody-two-shoes.”

Junko hissed as he set her in the passenger seat of his Skyline. “Yeah, a bunch of idols and kids, that’s all.” She set her own sights on the mingling mob as Hyunbin pulled away, catching a familiar gaze staring at her through the window. Looking away in shame, she pulled a sliver of glass from her palm. “That’s all.”

* * *

“- reports say a single female was pulled from the wreck and fled the scene with a male. The two have not yet been identified and neither have the five others at the scene. The vehicle had no registered owner and is suspected to be stolen. If you have any information on this event, please call the Incheon police department at -”

Junko switched the television off and tossed the controller to the side. “It wasn’t stolen, I just didn’t bother to register it.” She jerked as another shard of glass was slipped out from her back. “Can’t you be a little nicer after what you did to me?”

Behind her Terumoto just chuckled, dropping the sliver into a stainless steel bowl. “Last I checked, Sister, you pulled out in front of me.”

She hummed in return and turned her head, resting it against her bandaged arms. “You didn’t have to hit me, though.” Her aegyo didn’t come out as nicely as she intended, voice laced with pain as he rubbed an antibiotic salve over her back. “Who would’a thought you would have any sort of medical knowledge.”

Terumoto pat her back a little harder at the comment - Junko yipped and turned to glare at the Japanese man who held up his hands in surrender.

“I just thought it would end up useful. Wouldn’t you say so?” He was greeted with a quiet grumble. “Now, please stand up so I can wrap your wounds.”

Achingly, Junko pushed herself up from the covered table and faced him, arms held out as he pulled one of the two gauze rolls from the counter. She looked away as he got closer, shy that she was completely topless and exposed in front of him. The desire to cover her breasts was strong, but with the punctures on her back it was impossible to keep her bra on while heeling. She wasn’t ashamed of her body ; her breasts weren’t too small nor too large, but the fact was she had never shown them to anyone that didn’t have a medical doctorate.

In front of her Terumoto chuckled and began to gingerly wrap the gauze over her entire torso. “You won’t need any stitches, but don’t try to do anything too crazy. Come to me to change your wrapping in two days. It shouldn't take more than a week to heal completely, but I’ll have to wrap your breasts since you won’t be able to wear a bra. Unless, of course, you would rather be all natural.”

She snapped her eyes open a glared at him in embarrassed incredulity. “No thank you.” Again she turned away until he finished. The ghosting of his fingertips over her skin sent shivers down her spine, but he was quick and professional, for lack of a better term. Second bandage secured taut to support her upper half, Terumoto replaced her unbuttoned blouse over her shoulders.

“That should do fine. I’ll leave you to rest.” He tossed the bowl of glass into the garbage along with the curved tweezers he had used to extract the glass before turning towards the door of her warehouse. “Remember, two days,” he called over his shoulder, turning back to her when he opened the door. “And sorry about your car.”

Once the door was shut, Junko tossed the button up from her shoulders and turned to the kitchenette. A glass of whiskey - or five - and her bed were practically screaming her name. She sighed when she realized she would have to sleep on her stomach, but that was the price she paid for her decision.

From behind her a soft melody cut through the silence of the garage. It was her phone, the soft melody of Rain Sound once again drawing her attention to it. Glass in hand, she gingerly picked it up and immediately wanted to drop it. Against her better judgement, she answered the Skype call, voice only.

“Are you alright?”

Junko was a bit surprised to hear the concern in Yongguk’s voice, expecting something more along the line of disappointment or anger. It was a welcome surprise, to say the least.

“Ah, Yongguk-ssi. Yeah, I should be alright. Just some scratches and bruises, nothing life threatening.”

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment before a long sigh slipped through the speaker. “That’s good to hear. That accident looked life threatening, I’m not going to lie.”

“I installed a roll cage in the car for just such an occasion. I can be smart sometimes as shocking as that seems.” Junko laughed shortly and stared into empty space. “ . . . Did you tell Jongup?”

Again the other side stayed quiet for some time. “I didn’t. I thought you should be the one to tell him. He hasn’t said anything to me, so I don’t think he knew it was you.”

Clutching the edge of the counter, Junko settled her body onto it, gripping her forehead with a hand shaking in relief. “He has bad eyesight. I keep telling him to wear his fucking glasses or contacts or anything!” It surprised her how angry the statement came out. “I’m sorry, it’s just . . I’ve been telling him for 17 years to wear the damn things, otherwise his vision is going to get worse. Cheeky punk never listens to me.”

“That sounds like the pain talking, Junko. Are you sure you’re alright? Did you go to the hospital?”

“No, mother, I said I’m alright.” She downed the rest of her glass. “I appreciate the concern. You can still buy me flowers or something for a get well present, if you want.”

“What caused that accident?”

Junko was taken aback by the question. She stumbled with her words a bit, turning her torso to pour another glass. “Just a casual drive?”

Yongguk scoffed almost inaudibly. “Just a drive with some friends, right?”

“How did you know I was with friends?”

“That many exotic cars in one place? I doubt it was just an innocent drive.”

Another glass of liquid courage down, she stared at Yongguk’s icon on the bright screen, black and white like every other photo he seemed to take. Should I tell him the truth? The question burned, white hot fear tickling her heart. There was no doubt it would make him angry. But lying would make him even angrier when he found out.

“It was a race,” she uttered all at once. “One that was supposed to be small and out of the way. Something went wrong, and it headed into the city. I had to stop it before anyone got hurt.”

“But _you_ got hurt, Junko.”

Something about the way he said her name brought a smile to her face. “Better me than someone else, right?” Pour. Gulp. Repeat. “I saw the risk and took it. I’m sorry I caused a scene, but it’s better that I was the news story than you or those children.”

An agonizing minute passed ; Junko had to check to make sure the call hadn’t ended.

“Thank you, Junko.”

There went that smile again. “Thank you? That’s unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Knowing the risk, you made a selfless decision. You may not think so, but you saved the lives of those children and their families. So thank you. I can’t imagine the pain you’re in.”

Junko traced the bandages that ran down her arms with her gaze. “I don’t really know what to say. I guess you’re right, I didn’t think about it like that. I’m happy you’re not mad at me, Yongguk.” It might’ve been because of the alcohol, but a stray tear crawled its way down her cheek, followed by another one on the opposite side of her face. Before Junko knew it, she was full out crying, stifling the whimpers trying to make their way out of her mouth. She held the phone away from her face and barely caught Yongguk’s voice as he spoke again.

“Go rest. Maybe I’ll see you again. I can’t promise any flowers, though.”

“Yeah, no flowers,” she blubbered into the receiver. Yongguk made a sound of confusion and concern, but Junko interrupted him before he could get a word out edgewise. “Goodbye, Yongguk-ssi, I’ll rest well!” And with that, she ended the call and set her phone down on the counter.

Tears still streaking her face and sun still high in the sky, Junko decided to head to bed anyway, for the first time in a while feeling almost enthusiastic about what tomorrow would bring.


End file.
